Anand...it's time to benchmark the Apple G4

[GL]

Well...maybe not just yet, but I'd really like to see a comparison of an Apple G4 system with a Radeon against a PC with a Radeon (and all other factors kept as uniform as possible - i.e. RAM, hard disk space/speed, etc). ATI is shipping the 32MB Radeon in September. Mac OS X is also coming out in beta in September (not sure if you can run Q3 on it...but hopefully as this should give a good performance boost over the current Mac OS).

This'll cause a lot of controversy...but what the heck!? I'm all for performance and I don't care whether it comes from AMD, Intel, Compaq (Alpha ) or in this case, Motorola.

Anybody else interested in this? I've already opened my big mouth and said that the Mac will trounce the PC in an apples to apples Quake 3 comparison. I'm not so confident in this now though...I would be if Mac OS X was being used but I'm not so sure the Mac will outdo the PC with its current OS which probably wreaks at gaming.

-GL

 

[zippy]

I'd be interested...OS9 would prolly get whomped...OS X might provide for some fun time benching.

 

[Aquaman]

That iCube looks kinda cool. Not very expandable but maybe good for the casual computer user.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Noriaki]

I'd be interested to see that.

I don't think I'd be willing to give up my PC for a Mac yet but lets see it.

Quake3 on:
Mac OS9 vs Mac OSX vs Linux PPC vs Linux x86 vs Windows

Take it like you said, both Radeons keep the machine specs as close as possible and see what happens. That would be kind of cool.

 

[GL]

Red Dawn

Great point...linux it is. Linux isn't a half bad Q3 platform either. Matrox cards perform almost on par on linux as they do in windows I believe...not sure about the other cards (3dfx probably has great support too).

-GL

 

[zippy]

Yeah, install linux on both as Red said.

 

[Imaginer]

It would be mighty interesting to see different mixes of platforms and computing power going in a equal test.

 

[BoberFett]

I'd also like to see Dual G4 vs Dual Athlon vs Dual P3.

 

[RSI]

I think there should be both types...

Where the specs are kept as close as possible, and where you have a $3000 Mac and a $3000 PC..

Would be extremely interesting to read...

 

[iwang5]

Yeah, definitely, maybe we will learn how to overclock a G4, that will creat a whole new world for overclocking addicts.

 

[Prodigy^]

It'd be cool to see yes

 

[Killfile]

I'd love to see a dual G4 or G4 Cube review vs. PC of the same spec - it would be pretty pointless to review them on a per-price basis, simply because we know that the Mac would get whupped.

The big downer is that I suspect Anand would have to delve into his own (abet hugely deep) pockets to buy the kit, as Apple probably wouldn't be too keen on handing out freebies to what I'm sure they regard as a PC-biased site. Oh, and because they know that the review would go like this:

Pretty colours, Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, industrial design, blah, blah, blah, tranparent, blah, blah, blah, blah, frosted plastic, blah, blah, blah, blah, graphic designers, blah, blah, blah, blah, flat panel displays, blah, blah, blah, blah, quicker in Photoshop, blah, blah, blah, blah, slower in Quake III, blah, blah, blah, blah, too expensive, blah, blah, blah, blah, lack of software, blah, blah, blah, blah, PC just as easy to use blah, blah, blah, blah, PC cheaper.

 

[Remedy]

From what i heard about the G450 and 500 is that they are on par with a 667 and 750 p3. I don't know if this is true but i'll drop a link later on it.

 

[obeseotron]

Anyone that's actually attempted to use an ATI card to play a game on a Mac knows just how pointless it is. The image quality is sub voodoo1, closer the the riva128 than anything else. The perfomance of ATI's drivers is appaulling, and the games aren't optimized. On top of this Apple likes to crap up the already sub par (pre Radeon) chipsets from ATI by lowering the clock and reducing the amount of memory. They may do the same again. It's not fair to the mac in this way.

The G4 is Mhz for Mhz the fastest desktop CPU in the world, AMD and Intel wouldn't even dispute that. Problem is, even if it was twice as fast isn't good enough, casue the p3 1.13ghz are rolling out soon, probably accomponied by 1.1 or even 1.2Ghz Tbirds.

All this aside, DO IT.

Take the fastest Mac available (500Mhz LOL) and pit it against the fastest chips in the industry. No synthetics. Only cross-platform applications, and realworld tests. Take a retail Radeon and stuff it in the waste of an AGP slot that the mac has.

My prediction 1GHz P3 BX133 or i815 vs 500Mhz G4:
Quake 3: P3 by a LONG shot.
UT: Another no contest. (you shout also do a software mode benchmark)
Photoshop: Very close probably split in various tests.
RC5: Mac wins.
3D: P3 (Tbird even better)

 

[Soccerman]

you have to be using Linux on both Mac's and PC's to something resembling a good test. OS9 is just plain different. it's a good OS (IMHO) but you can't compare Apples (pardon the pun) to Oranges that easily.

Popular mechanics has tried on multiple occasions, they don't know computers worth crap, but that's besides the point.

OSX is based sortof on Linux is it not?

so if you want good tests. don't go the way of all those who want to see the PC win (we all know the PC wins in terms of performance against the OS9, but that introduces too many differences) but go the way of the true scientist type person, and change one variable at a time, as you so often have done already.

 

[BoberFett]

No, there is no Linux in OSX.

Also, much of this discussion has been based on fact that people are told that Apple's are easier to use for people that aren't tweakers. For instance the dual G4 is the first SMP computer for the average user.

If that's the case, then they aren't going to run Linux, that's for damn sure. I say run Win9x and Win2K against OS9 - the three OSes that are currently shipping on home computers.

 

[Celoverclock]

since we know no dual athlon...id like to see...

dual celeron-dual p3-dual mac in the crack
and also single celeron, amd, mac, p3 benchamrks..compared/benched

 

[Pete]

Please, don't shatter the confidence of Apple benchmark-lovers everywhere .

 

[AngelOfDeath]

No matter what it would be nice to some benches. There is always an ungoing battle between Mac and PC users 'bout whoes system and proc is the fastest. My mothers husband has an mac and he claims that a mac processor has more Hz per PC-Hz.

It could be quite fun to slam some benches up his @ss .

AoD

 

[Caitiff]

Red Dawn
[rant] You seem to have quite a chip on your shoulder regarding Linux. As an avid hw enthusiast, and overclocker, I enjoy getting 'something for nothing', or getting the best outta what I got. I also take pride in being able to do things and work on things that simply mystify others. I feel that most of the people on this forum are kindred in this aspect. Why then would you so sarcastically dismiss a 'project' OS that is starting to show so much promise? It is a very real possibility that in the very near future, Linux, or a derivative, will be able to thorougly trounce the established monopolies of Jobs and Gates, and do it from the efforts of the little guys all around the world? The term 'Linux Weenies' may be some sort of affectionate endearment, in which case I apologize for my short rant. After all, what better way to do a complete 'apples to apples' comparison between the Mac-Addicts and the Win-tel clones than to run the SAME os on both sets of hardware? [/rant]