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Apple iMac Pro (Xeon W-2140B, Radeon Pro Vega 56) Review

iMac for professionals!? Apple's iMac is a popular all-in-one system in two different sizes, but it is primarily designed for private users. Professionals only got the Mac Pro so far, but Apple now sells a pro version of the iMac with Intel Xeon CPU and AMD Radeon Pro GPU. We review the entry-level model for almost 5,500 Euros (~$6359).

Professionals looking for a dedicated Apple system could only choose the Mac Pro so far. This desktop system is available with workstation components like Intel’s Xeon processors. The all-in-one system iMac has now got a professional sibling as well, which is called iMac Pro corresponding to Apple’s usual nomenclature.

The iMac Pro is actually a version of the regular 27-inch iMac with professional components. They have a big effect on the price, because the entry-level model of the iMac Pro retails for 5,500 Euros (~$6359), while the regular iMac is available for about 2100 Euros (~$2428) in Apple’s online store. The entry-level model ships with an 8-core Intel Xeon processor, 32 GB of ECC-RAM (DDR4-2666), 1 TB SSD storage, and the professional AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 GPU with 8 GB HBM2 video memory. You can obviously upgrade the components based on your requirements, but this will quickly increase the price. A fully-optioned iMac Pro will exceed 15,000 Euros (~$17343), and especially the prices for more memory are extremely high (as per usual for Apple). All SKUs are equipped with the same 27-inch 5K screen with P3 color gamut.

There are no direct competitors for the iMac Pro, so we will use different comparison devices in each section to have a better idea of the performance and the benchmark results. We are particularly interested to see how the cooling solution of the slim iMac Pro handles the heat from the components.

Apple iMac Pro
Processor
Intel Xeon W-2145 8 x 3.7 - 4.5 GHz, Skylake-W
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1250 MHz, Memory: 786 MHz, HBM2
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4-2666 ECC, 4x 8 GB, Quad-Channel
Display
27.00 inch 16:9, 5120 x 2880 pixel 218 PPI, APPAE1E, glossy: yes
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 4 USB 3.1 Gen2, 4 Thunderbolt, 4 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo jack, Card Reader: SDXC with UHS-II support, Brightness Sensor
Networking
Aquantia AQtion 10Gbit Network Adapter (10/100/1000/2500/5000/10000MBit/s), Broadcom 802.11ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 516 x 650 x 203 ( = 20.31 x 25.59 x 7.99 in)
Operating System
Apple macOS 10.13 High Sierra
Camera
Webcam: 1080p FaceTime HD Camera
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard with numpad, Lightning to USB cable, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
9.843 kg ( = 347.2 oz / 21.7 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
5500 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The case is pretty similar to the regular Apple iMac except for the color scheme. While consumer iMacs are white, the professional model gets a dark gray design (Space Gray). The iMac pro is certainly not a light device at almost 10 kg (~22 lb), but you have to consider the integrated 27-inch panel as well as the 500-W power adapter. The build quality of the system is excellent and the darker iMac Pro certainly leaves a very elegant impression.

Connectivity - 4x Thunderbolt 3

The port selection is very comprehensive and should not leave anything to be desired, but the port placement is not ideal. There is no room on the edges due to the slim profile, so all ports are at the back. You will most certainly have to turn the whole device when you attach USB devices or insert SD cards. We definitely recommend the use of a USB hub.

Otherwise, however, there is not much to criticize with four regular USB and four Thunderbolt 3 ports (USB-C). The Thunderbolt 3 ports also support video out: As well as the integrated 5K panel, you can either drive two more 5K panels at 60 Hz or four external 4K UHD screens at 60 Hz. All older formats like DVI or VGA can be realized via optional adapters.

Ports of the iMac Pro (Picture: Apple)
Ports of the iMac Pro (Picture: Apple)

SD Card Reader

We have already talked about the position of the full-size SD card reader at the back. It supports the UHS-II standard and we can determine very high transfer rates of 230 MB/s in combination with our reference card from Toshiba (Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II). At least with macOS, because the performance is much lower when you use BootCamp Windows (more details in the Performance section). Both AS SSD and our copy test resulted in about 85 MB/s.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
157.5 MB/s +84%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
 
156 MB/s +82%
Apple iMac Pro
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
85.6 MB/s
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
254.5 MB/s +189%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
 
216 MB/s +145%
Apple iMac Pro
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
88 MB/s

Communication

The iMac Pro is a desktop system and obviously features an Ethernet port. Unlike the usual Gigabit-connector on laptops, Apple has implemented a 10 Gbps port, but wireless networks are supported as well. The Wi-Fi module supports all modern standards and we determine transfer rates of more than 700 Mbps in our standardized test with the Router Linksys EA8500. This is a good result, but the current MacBook Pro lineup performs even better. Bluetooth is supported in version 4.2.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2017 Touchbar i5
Broadcom BCM15700A2 802.11ac
949 MBit/s +33%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Broadcom BCM15700A2 802.11ac
845 MBit/s +19%
Apple iMac Pro
Broadcom 802.11ac
713 MBit/s
Apple MacBook 12 2017
Broadcom 802.11ac
689 MBit/s -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
512 MBit/s -28%
Average of class Desktop
  (200 - 821, n=2, last 2 years)
511 MBit/s -28%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
506 (622min) MBit/s -29%
iperf3 receive AX12
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Broadcom BCM15700A2 802.11ac
949 MBit/s +32%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2017 Touchbar i5
Broadcom BCM15700A2 802.11ac
845 MBit/s +17%
Apple iMac Pro
Broadcom 802.11ac
721 MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
667 MBit/s -7%
Apple MacBook 12 2017
Broadcom 802.11ac
660 MBit/s -8%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
622 MBit/s -14%
Average of class Desktop
  (338 - 880, n=2, last 2 years)
609 MBit/s -16%

Security

Apple has also thought about the security with its own T2 processor, which combines several chips and handles multiple tasks. This includes the Secure Enclave Processor that takes care of the storage encryption as well as the secure boot functionality. The T2 chip also prevents reduced SSD performance in terms of AES encryption. Other security features such as for the login like Apple’s Touch-ID or Face-ID, for example, are not available on the iMac Pro.

Accessories

As well as the iMac Pro itself, the box also includes the Magic Mouse 2 and the Magic Keyboard (with numpad), which match the color of the iMac Pro. You also get a USB-to-Lightning cable to charge the peripherals. Apple also offers additional accessories such as the Magic TrackPad.

One interesting accessory is the optional VESA mount (about 90 Euros/~$104). Unlike the current iMacs, this solution is flexible, so you can just attach the regular mount or vice versa.

Maintenance

We want to refer to the in-depth teardown from our colleagues at iFixit for more information about the maintenance. They disassembled the iMac Pro and you can basically upgrade both the RAM as well as the processor (not soldered). However, there is no maintenance hatch, so the whole process is very complicated and requires special tools. The SSD can, in theory, be replaced as well, but Apple does not use common M.2 modules.

Internal layout iMac Pro (Picture: Apple)
Internal layout iMac Pro (Picture: Apple)

Warranty

The iMac Pro is shipped with a two-year warranty, including a 90-day phone support by default. This is a difference compared to the regular Apple devices with a one-year warranty. Apple also sells AppleCare for an extension to three years, which retails for 179 Euros (~$207). Most professional devices are available with warranty extensions up to 5 years and additional services such as on-site repair or keep your drive, but not the Apple. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices

The input devices consist of the Magic Mouse 2 and the Magic Mouse keyboard with an integrated numpad. Both peripherals are wireless and can be charged via Lightning connector. Their quality is decent, but there are some drawbacks. The keyboard is slightly slanted, but the key travel is very shallow, even though the feedback is decent. This is okay if you do not type a lot, but you will not be happy if you are used to very good desktop keyboards. Another major disadvantage is the lack of a background illumination.

The wireless connection always worked flawlessly under macOS, but there were problems running Windows via BootCamp, so we switched to a different set of input devices.

Display - 5K-Retina

Reflections from windows or light sources can be annoying.
Reflections from windows or light sources can be annoying.

The 27-inch 5K panel (5120x2880 pixels) carries the designation APPAE1E and it is the same LG panel (LM270QQ1) you get in the iMac 5K according to our colleagues from iFixit. Apple advertises a luminance of 500 nits, but our measurements are just shy of that at up to 469 nits in the center of the screen and still about 470 nits on average. This is still an excellent result since you will hardly use the iMac Pro outdoors. However, it can still be tricky to use in offices due to the semi-glossy (similar to MacBooks) surface if there are reflections from light sources or windows.

Subpixel array
Subpixel array
Only minor backlight bleeding
Only minor backlight bleeding

The subjective picture impression is excellent. Images are crisp with brilliant colors. Apple has implemented a brightness sensor that does the job well, and we did not detect a PWM regulation of the backlight. macOS always provided great scaling of the high resolution and this does not change here. Windows on the other hand can still be tricky. The default scaling setting is 450% and Windows itself does a good job, but there are still apps without the necessary optimizations. We encountered problems with our calibration tool and the gaming platform Origin, for example.

440
cd/m²
458
cd/m²
479
cd/m²
433
cd/m²
496
cd/m²
466
cd/m²
487
cd/m²
485
cd/m²
469
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
APPAE1E tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 496 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 468.1 cd/m² Minimum: 3.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Contrast: 919:1 (Black: 0.54 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 0.9
ΔE Greyscale 2.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
100% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
79.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
88.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.22
Apple iMac Pro
APPAE1E, , 5120x2880, 27.00
Apple iMac Retina 5K 27 Late 2015 3.2 GHz M390 MK472D/A
5120x2880, 27.00
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
APPA031, , 2880x1800, 15.40
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
LEN4123, VVX17P051J00, , 3840x2160, 17.30
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
SHP1476, , 3840x2160, 15.60
Dell Precision 7720
SHP1446 (LQ173D1), , 3840x2160, 17.30
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
Sharp SHP144C, , 3840x2160, 17.30
Display
-0%
-1%
-18%
0%
0%
Display P3 Coverage
99
99.3
0%
97.9
-1%
67.4
-32%
87.6
-12%
88
-11%
sRGB Coverage
100
100
0%
99.9
0%
98.5
-1%
100
0%
100
0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
88.8
88.2
-1%
85.9
-3%
68.9
-22%
99.2
12%
99.6
12%
Response Times
-6%
18964%
175%
-108%
49%
66%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
30.4 ?(14, 16.4)
30.4 ?(11.6, 18.8)
-0%
48 ?(23.6, 24.4)
-58%
39.2 ?(20.4, 18.8)
-29%
59.2 ?(27.6, 31.6)
-95%
60 ?(26.8, 33.2)
-97%
56.8 ?(27.6, 29.2)
-87%
Response Time Black / White *
18.8 ?(11.2, 7.6)
20.8 ?(4.4, 16.4)
-11%
33.8 ?(19.6, 14.2)
-80%
23.2 ?(11.6, 11.6)
-23%
41.6 ?(26.8, 14.8)
-121%
46.4 ?(28.4, 18)
-147%
38.4 ?(22.8, 15.6)
-104%
PWM Frequency
208.3 ?(50)
119000 ?(80, 210)
57029%
1412 ?(90)
578%
1020 ?(20)
390%
1020 ?(50)
390%
Screen
-1%
23%
9%
-10%
-5%
17%
Brightness middle
496
429
-14%
545
10%
358
-28%
372.4
-25%
464
-6%
391
-21%
Brightness
468
424
-9%
523
12%
338
-28%
368
-21%
441
-6%
360
-23%
Brightness Distribution
87
95
9%
86
-1%
83
-5%
90
3%
89
2%
87
0%
Black Level *
0.54
0.58
-7%
0.44
19%
0.31
43%
0.48
11%
0.45
17%
0.35
35%
Contrast
919
740
-19%
1239
35%
1155
26%
776
-16%
1031
12%
1117
22%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3
2.8
7%
1.6
47%
2.1
30%
2.6
13%
3.2
-7%
1.3
57%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
5.8
3.8
34%
3.6
38%
5.6
3%
6.1
-5%
2.5
57%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
0.9
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.5
1.97
21%
1.9
24%
2
20%
3.7
-48%
4.2
-68%
1.8
28%
Gamma
2.22 99%
2.13 103%
2.26 97%
2.16 102%
2.14 103%
2.01 109%
2.11 104%
CCT
6824 95%
6889 94%
6834 95%
6216 105%
7096 92%
6736 96%
6461 101%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
79.4
79
-1%
77
-3%
63
-21%
88.1
11%
87.9
11%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
100
99.97
0%
99.97
0%
99
-1%
100
0%
100
0%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-2% / -2%
6329% / 4076%
92% / 48%
-45% / -25%
15% / 6%
28% / 23%

* ... smaller is better

Apple includes different color profiles, including sRGB, AdobeRGB and P3. We checked all three and determined the best results with the P3 profile, but our measurements show that there is still room for improvements, especially for a workstation. We also tested the P3 profile at a lower luminance, which improved the accuracy slightly. Still, the colors in particular have some major outliers.

CalMAN Grayscale (target color space P3)
CalMAN Grayscale (target color space P3)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space P3)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space P3)
CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space P3)
CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space P3)
CalMAN Grayscale (target color space P3, brightness ~150 nits)
CalMAN Grayscale (target color space P3, brightness ~150 nits)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space P3, brightness ~150 nits)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space P3, brightness ~150 nits)
CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space P3, brightness ~150 nits)
CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space P3, brightness ~150 nits)

The grayscale performance with the other two profiles is very similar, but we see very high color deviations compared to the AdobeRGB reference. This is a clear indicator for the optimization towards the P3 color space and the iMac Pro is not perfect for graphics work in the AdobeRGB reference.

CalMAN Grayscale (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN Grayscale (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN Grayscale (target color space AdobeRGB)
CalMAN Grayscale (target color space AdobeRGB)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space AdobeRGB)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space AdobeRGB)
CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space AdobeRGB)
CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space AdobeRGB)

We calibrated the panel with our spectrophotometer X-Rite i1 Pro2 and managed to reduce the deviations significantly. The grayscale performance is on a reference level and the high color deviations are gone as well. Blue is still the most noticeable outlier, but also under the important mark of 3. We would have liked to see a better calibration by default similar to other manufacturers.

CalMAN Grayscale calibrated (target color space P3)
CalMAN Grayscale calibrated (target color space P3)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps calibrated (target color space P3)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps calibrated (target color space P3)
CalMAN ColorChecker calibrated (target color space P3)
CalMAN ColorChecker calibrated (target color space P3)
Almost full P3 gamut (CalMAN)
Almost full P3 gamut (CalMAN)

Both the smaller sRGB reference as well as the P3 color space are completely covered by the panel, but you need an external display if you want to work in the AdobeRGB color space (79.4%). All in all, the iMac Pro panel is very similar to the 5K iMac panel that we reviewed back in 2015. Our new model is a bit brighter, but there are no additional changes or improvements by Apple.

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
18.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 11.2 ms rise
↘ 7.6 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 35 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
30.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 14 ms rise
↘ 16.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 34 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 208.3 Hz ≤ 50 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 208.3 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 50 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 208.3 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The viewing angle stability of the IPS screen is very good and you can still see a clear image even from very wide angles.

Viewing angles iMac Pro
Viewing angles iMac Pro

Performance

Apple's iMac Pro is without any doubt a very powerful system, and it is not that easy to classify the performance. There are a lot of professional applications and tasks, so it is almost impossible to cover them all within one review, and all our other mobile workstations are running on Windows. Many benchmarks are not available for macOS, so we test many aspects under Windows to ensure a certain level of comparability with other components.

We used Apple's integrated BootCamp tool for the installation. One thing you have to consider is that the performance, especially the GPU performance, is depending a lot on the drivers and usually a bit better running macOS. We list both scores if the benchmark is available for both operating systems.

The iMac Pro is exclusively shipped with ECC-RAM. Our test model is equipped with four 8 GB modules; the maximum amount of RAM is 128 GB with four 32 GB modules.

Processor - 8 Core Intel Xeon W

The iMac Pro uses a throttled version of the Xeon W 2145 (Xeon W-2140B).
The iMac Pro uses a throttled version of the Xeon W 2145 (Xeon W-2140B).

Apple offers four different Xeon processors for the iMac Pro, either with 8, 10, 14, or 18 CPU cores. Our test model is powered by the Intel Xeon W 2145, at least in theory. It should have a base frequency of 3.7 GHz with a Boost of up to 4.5 GHz, but this seems to be a special version for Apple. The exact specification is Xeon W-2140B, a slightly throttled version running at 3.2 and up to 4.2 GHz, respectively.

The processor is based on the 14 nm Skylake-X architecture and has a specified TDP of 140 W. Cinebench is available for both operating systems, so we were able to compare the performance, but there is no noticeable difference. A single core can run at up to 4.2 GHz, which is not a lot nowadays. We included some modern ULV chips and mobile Core i7 models for the comparison and they can easily keep up with the expensive desktop CPU when you only stress one core for a limited time.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Desktop
  (76 - 319, n=34, last 2 years)
232 Points +31%
Dell Precision 7720
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
179 Points +1%
Apple iMac Pro
Intel Xeon W-2145 (macOS)
177 Points
Average Intel Xeon W-2145
 
177 Points 0%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
175 Points -1%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
Intel Core i7-8750H
174 Points -2%
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-79BY
Intel Core i7-8750H
173 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
170 Points -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Intel Core i7-7820HQ
166 Points -6%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (Win10)
159.9 Points -10%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (OS X)
156 Points -12%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Desktop
  (128 - 6236, n=34, last 2 years)
2501 Points +48%
Apple iMac Pro
Intel Xeon W-2145 (Win10)
1686 Points
Apple iMac Pro
Intel Xeon W-2145 (macOS)
1678 Points 0%
Average Intel Xeon W-2145
  (1678 - 1686, n=2)
1682 Points 0%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
Intel Core i7-8750H
1163 Points -31%
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-79BY
Intel Core i7-8750H
1007 Points -40%
Dell Precision 7720
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
848 Points -50%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
806 Points -52%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Intel Core i7-7820HQ
762 Points -55%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (OS X)
732 (729min - 733max) Points -57%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (Win10)
727 (704.77min - 731.97max) Points -57%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
723 Points -57%

The Xeon processor can show its potential when you start to stress more cores (up to 3.9 GHz). The old mobile quad-cores and even the new 6-core CPUs are easily beaten. It also seems Apple has removed all the consumption limitations, which is similar to the MacBook Pros. The chip can consume up to 200 W under sustained workloads and clearly surpasses the original 140-W limit. The benchmark scores only differ slightly in our Cinebench loop (both macOS as well as Win 10). The cooling solution is also very restrained under CPU workloads, so there should be sufficient head room for optional processors with more cores.

More benchmarks are available in our tech section.

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Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit Rot: macOS, Gelb: Win 10
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
177 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1686 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
129.1 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.5 %
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System Performance - Responsive, also with BootCamp Windows

It does not matter whether you use macOS or Windows 10; the subjective performance impression is extremely good. All our inputs are executed without delays and even more complex applications are launched without any noteworthy waiting times. The installation of Windows via BootCamp was super easy, because you do not even need a USB stick (Windows image file is sufficient). We did not encounter any hardware or software issues during our review period.

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-79BY
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256GD9MNE-6200A
5431 Points +26%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
Quadro P5000, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
4648 (4587min - 4670max) Points +7%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
4498 Points +4%
Apple iMac Pro
Pro Vega 56, W-2145
4327 Points
Average Intel Xeon W-2145, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
 
4327 Points 0%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Radeon Pro 555, i7-7700HQ, Apple SSD SM0256L
4054 Points -6%
Dell Precision 7720
Quadro P5000, E3-1535M v6, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
3772 Points -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3578 Points -17%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3540 Points -18%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
3504 Points -19%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-79BY
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256GD9MNE-6200A
5872 Points +27%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
5342 Points +16%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4909 Points +6%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Radeon Pro 555, i7-7700HQ, Apple SSD SM0256L
4648 Points +1%
Apple iMac Pro
Pro Vega 56, W-2145
4614 Points
Average Intel Xeon W-2145, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
 
4614 Points 0%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
Quadro P5000, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
4558 (4556min - 4591max) Points -1%
Dell Precision 7720
Quadro P5000, E3-1535M v6, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
4460 Points -3%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
4291 Points -7%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Apple iMac Pro
Pro Vega 56, W-2145
7689 Points
Average Intel Xeon W-2145, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
 
7689 Points 0%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
Quadro P5000, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
7663 (7649min - 7675max) Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
Quadro P3000, i7-7820HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
6402 Points -17%
Dell Precision 7720
Quadro P5000, E3-1535M v6, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
5498 Points -28%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
Quadro M1200, E3-1505M v6, Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
5086 Points -34%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Radeon Pro 555, i7-7700HQ, Apple SSD SM0256L
4914 Points -36%
PCMark 10 - Score
Average of class Desktop
  (2317 - 10153, n=24, last 2 years)
6137 Points +1%
Apple iMac Pro
Pro Vega 56, W-2145
6050 Points
Average Intel Xeon W-2145, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
 
6050 Points 0%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
Quadro P5000, E3-1535M v6, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
5606 (5442min - 5634max) Points -7%
Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-79BY
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256GD9MNE-6200A
5589 Points -8%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NY
5465 Points -10%
Dell Precision 7720
Quadro P5000, E3-1535M v6, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5512GPU7
5248 Points -13%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
Radeon Pro 555, i7-7700HQ, Apple SSD SM0256L
4122 Points -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3960 Points -35%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4327 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
7689 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4614 points
PCMark 10 Score
6050 points
Help

Storage Device - SSD-storage only

Disk Speed Test
Disk Speed Test

The iMac Pro is only available with fast PCIe-SSD storage and our model is equipped with a 1 TB drive. You can use about 963 GB for your own files and apps after the initial launch. Apple sells the iMac Pro with up to 4 TB SSD storage, but the additional price is extremely high (+3360 Euros/~$3928). As usual, the common Windows performance tools struggle with the SSD in Apple devices, so we use the tool Disk Speed Test in macOS. Interestingly, the write performance of ~3 GB/s is a bit better than the read performance, but the latter is still excellent at about 2.5 GB/s. Drives with a higher storage capacity should perform even a bit better.

We recommend a look at our HDD/SSD ranking for more performance comparisons.

Sequential Read: 1535MB/s
Sequential Write: 2315MB/s
4K Read: 40.9MB/s
4K Write: 103.7MB/s
4K-64 Read: 1205MB/s
4K-64 Write: 346.2MB/s
Access Time Read: 0.039ms
Score Read: 1400Points
Score Write: 681Points
Score Total: 2840Points

GPU Performance - Radeon Pro Vega with HBM2

The Radeon Pro Vega 56 and the optional Radeon Pro Vega 64 are – just like the regular RX Vega models – based on the Polaris 10 chip (14 nm). AMD deactivates some shader (3584 vs. 4096) and texture mapping units (224 vs. 256) on the Radeon Pro Vega 56 compared to the RX Vega 64. The maximum core clock of the professional GPU is also lower at up to 1250 MHz, while the consumer version reaches up to 1536 MHz. Both GPUs are equipped with 8 GB of HBM2 VRAM, but the clock of the Pro version is once again lower (786 vs. 945 MHz). The optional Radeon Pro Vega 64 (+720 Euros/~$842) has slightly higher clocks, but the biggest advantage is the bigger VRAM at 16 GB. AMD's Radeon Pro Vega also supports VR applications.

Radeon Pro Vega 56 Radeon Pro Vega Radeon RX Vega 64
Chip 14nm Polaris 10 14nm Polaris 10 14nm Polaris 10
Shader 3584 4096 4096
TMUs 224 256 256
VRAM 8 GB HBM2 16 GB HBM2 8 GB HBM2
Core clock 1250 MHz 1350 MHz 1536 MHz
Memory clock 786 MHz 786 MHz 945 MHz

The AMD drivers included in the BootCamp installation worked well with professional applications and benchmarks during our tests, but did not like games (more on that later). The Radeon Pro Vega 56 is often right between the Quadro P4000 and Quadro P5000 in OpenGL and OpenCL benchmarks, but there can be big variations depending on the benchmark with outliers in both directions.

LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
3235 Samples/s +58%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Intel Core i7-4790K
2474 Samples/s +21%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
2337 Samples/s +14%
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
2301 Samples/s +12%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
2299 Samples/s +12%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
2053 Samples/s
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
1847 Samples/s -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
1824 Samples/s -11%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
979 Samples/s -52%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
506 Samples/s -75%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
423 Samples/s -79%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2017 Touchbar i5
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650, Intel Core i5-7267U
336 Samples/s -84%
Sala GPUs-only
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
6736 Samples/s +75%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Intel Core i7-4790K
5012 Samples/s +30%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
4357 Samples/s +13%
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
4323 Samples/s +12%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
4322 Samples/s +12%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
3851 Samples/s
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
3564 Samples/s -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
3386 Samples/s -12%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
1562 Samples/s -59%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1001 Samples/s -74%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2017 Touchbar i5
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650, Intel Core i5-7267U
813 Samples/s -79%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
736 Samples/s -81%
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
166.2 fps +41%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
164.9 fps +40%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
142.3 fps +21%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
117.7 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
117.1 fps -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
107.3 fps -9%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
69 fps -41%
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
53.7 fps -54%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
48.83 fps -59%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
48.8 fps -59%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
183.6 fps +40%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
178.8 fps +37%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
157.4 fps +20%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
130.9 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
83.1 fps -37%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
73.3 fps -44%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
34.18 fps -74%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
14.2 fps -89%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
14.17 fps -89%
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
7.78 fps -94%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
106.4 fps
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
83.4 fps -22%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
68.8 fps -35%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
67.2 fps -37%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
65.5 fps -38%
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
62.3 fps -41%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
54 fps -49%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
26.2 fps -75%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
19.9 fps -81%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
19.86 fps -81%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
74.6 fps
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
71.5 fps -4%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
68.1 fps -9%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
62.7 fps -16%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
39.4 fps -47%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
29.32 fps -61%
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
23.04 fps -69%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
17.49 fps -77%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
9.1 fps -88%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
9.06 fps -88%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
117.9 fps +15%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
102.6 fps
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
102.1 fps 0%
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
102.1 fps 0%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
88.8 fps -13%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
77.9 fps -24%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
64.6 fps -37%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
32.07 fps -69%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
30.54 fps -70%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
30.5 fps -70%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
18.58 fps
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
14.95 fps -20%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
14.68 fps -21%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
14.22 fps -23%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
10.29 fps -45%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
7.6 fps -59%
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
6.71 fps -64%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
3.78 fps -80%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
0.32 fps -98%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
0.32 fps -98%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
131.5 fps +54%
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
126.6 fps +48%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
117.2 fps +37%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
97.1 fps +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
85.6 fps 0%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
85.3 fps
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
47.97 fps -44%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
46.12 fps -46%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
33.4 fps -61%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
33.39 fps -61%
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
155.6 fps +15%
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
155.4 fps +15%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
139.9 fps +4%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
135 fps
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
115.2 fps -15%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
92.3 fps -32%
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
66.1 fps -51%
Dell Precision 5520 UHD
NVIDIA Quadro M1200, Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6
45.75 fps -66%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
30.8 fps -77%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
30.79 fps -77%
1900x1060 3ds Max (3dsmax-05)
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
93.6 fps
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
26.74 fps
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
26.7 fps
SPECviewperf 11
1920x1080 Siemens NX
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
140.3 fps
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
56.7 fps -60%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
56.5 fps -60%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
53 fps -62%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
51.2 fps -64%
1920x1080 Tcvis
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
53.4 fps +103%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
52.5 fps +100%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
50.6 fps +93%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
49.94 fps +90%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
26.27 fps
1920x1080 SolidWorks
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
82.7 fps
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
56.9 fps -31%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
55.5 fps -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
54.4 fps -34%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
50.9 fps -38%
1920x1080 Pro/ENGINEER
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
21.62 fps +174%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
20.8 fps +164%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
19.73 fps +150%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
19.51 fps +147%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
7.89 fps
1920x1080 Maya
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
132.5 fps
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
57.9 fps -56%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
57.9 fps -56%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
57.8 fps -56%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
57.6 fps -57%
1920x1080 Lightwave
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
93.2 fps
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
58.2 fps -38%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
57.7 fps -38%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
56.3 fps -40%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
52.2 fps -44%
1920x1080 Ensight
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
114.4 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
59.3 fps -48%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
59.3 fps -48%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
59.3 fps -48%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
59.2 fps -48%
1920x1080 Catia
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
59.5 fps
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
51.7 fps -13%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
50.7 fps -15%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
50.3 fps -15%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
48.39 fps -19%
Unigine Valley 1.0
1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Intel Core i7-4790K
92.6 fps +33%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
74.8 fps +7%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
73.9 fps +6%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
69.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
50.9 fps -27%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
16 (9min - 29max) fps -77%
1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
60.8 fps +4%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
58.4 fps
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
48.9 fps -16%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
55.4 fps -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
40.5 fps -31%
Apple iMac Retina 5K 27 Late 2015 3.2 GHz M390 MK472D/A
AMD Radeon R9 M390, Intel Core i5-6500
22.2 fps -62%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.8 GHz, 555)
AMD Radeon Pro 555, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
16.1 (16min - 16.1max) fps -72%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2017 Touchbar i5
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650, Intel Core i5-7267U
10.5 (6min - 18max) fps -82%
SiSoft Sandra 2016
Image Processing
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
2200 MPix/s
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
786 MPix/s -64%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
773 MPix/s -65%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
424.3 MPix/s -81%
GP Cryptography (Higher Security AES256+SHA2-512)
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
222.6 GB/s
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
33.33 GB/s -85%
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
33.08 GB/s -85%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
17.82 GB/s -92%
GP Financial Analysis (FP High/Double Precision)
Dell Precision 7720
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
100.5 KOPT/s +59%
HP ZBook 17 G4-Y3J82AV
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
99.6 KOPT/s +57%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
63.3 KOPT/s
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
47.27 KOPT/s -25%

The Radeon Pro 56 also performs well in the regular 3DMarks. Both the GTX 1080 (Laptop/Desktop) as well as the Radeon RX Vega 64 are a bit faster, but the GTX 1070 is falling behind in some tests. Still, the iMac Pro is not a really good system for gaming as you will see in the next section.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Desktop
  (650 - 104464, n=38, last 2 years)
42847 Points +67%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, Intel Core i9-8950HK
28918 Points +13%
Ryzen 5 2600 and Ryzen 7 2700 Review
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, AMD Ryzen 7 2700
28462 Points +11%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
25589 Points
Average AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
 
25589 Points 0%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Intel Core i7-4790K
23990 Points -6%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-8750H
23261 Points -9%
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
20623 Points -19%
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
19910 Points -22%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
15433 Points -40%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 1600
15182 Points -41%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-8750H
14528 Points -43%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
11162 Points -56%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, Intel Core i9-8950HK
140768 Points
Ryzen 5 2600 and Ryzen 7 2700 Review
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, AMD Ryzen 7 2700
107514 Points
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Intel Core i7-4790K
104764 Points
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
102368 Points
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-8750H
100073 Points
Average of class Desktop
  (3762 - 246319, n=32, last 2 years)
94318 Points
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-8750H
81912 Points
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
79091 Points
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 1600
70020 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
61574 Points
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
53834 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Desktop
  (523 - 70246, n=36, last 2 years)
27008 Points +52%
MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, Intel Core i9-8950HK
21422 Points +20%
Ryzen 5 2600 and Ryzen 7 2700 Review
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, AMD Ryzen 7 2700
20234 Points +14%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-8750H
17980 Points +1%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
17797 Points
Average AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
 
17797 Points 0%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Intel Core i7-4790K
16685 Points -6%
Aorus GTX 1080 Gaming Box (XPS 15 9575)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop),
15834 Points -11%
Eurocom Tornado F5W
NVIDIA Quadro P5000, Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5
14990 Points -16%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
12259 Points -31%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 1600
11512 Points -35%
Asus Strix GL703GM-DS74
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-8750H
11469 Points -36%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
9022 Points -49%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Desktop
  (173 - 37589, n=35, last 2 years)
14815 Points +171%
Ryzen 5 2600 and Ryzen 7 2700 Review
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, AMD Ryzen 7 2700
6530 Points +19%
MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-8750H
5697 Points +4%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Intel Core i7-4790K
5555 Points +2%
Apple iMac Pro
AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, Intel Xeon W-2145
5465 Points
Average AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
 
5465 Points 0%
Fujitsu Celsius H970
NVIDIA Quadro P4000, Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6
3960 Points -28%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 1600
3570 Points -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad P71-20HK0004GE
NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Intel Core i7-7820HQ
2864 Points -48%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
35787 points
3DMark 11 Performance
20785 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
15302 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
5831 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The BootCamp GPU driver caused massive problems during our gaming tests. The GPU was often not recognized correctly or not at all, there were massive scaling issues, we could not change the resolution, or the benchmark results just did not make much sense. We therefore tested the latest drivers from the website bootcampdrivers.com and repeated the tests. However, some titles still caused problems and could not be played, including “Star Wars Battlefront II”, “NFS Payback”, and “Battlefield 1”. All the other titles in the list below ran well, and the GPU performance is usually sufficient for modern titles in the 4K settings, sometimes even in the native 5K resolution.

Gaming Performance 4K vs. 5K
4K High preset 5K High preset
Witcher 3 41.6 fps 25.9 fps
Rainbow 6 Siege 70.2 fps 42.5 fps
AC: Origins 33 fps 22 fps
For Honor 43.6 fps 32.5 fps
GR Wildlands 34.7 fps 23 fps
Rise of the Tomb Raider 39.3 fps 25.6 fps
DOTA 2 95.8 fps 67.8 fps
low med. high ultra4K
The Witcher 3 (2015) 115.7 63.9 41.6
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 112 107.4 102.3 95.8
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 198.7 135.7 70.2
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 94 74.8 39.3
For Honor (2017) 142.6 134.9 105.6 43.6
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) 81.7 76 45.1 34.7
Assassin´s Creed Origins (2017) 70 65 57 33

Emissions

System Noise

The iMac Pro is equipped with two fans that are running all the time. However, the noise characteristic is very pleasant with a subtle murmur and no high frequencies. You cannot hear the fans at all under light workloads when you are sitting in front of the desk. More load results in a seamless increase of the fan speed, and the GPU definitely has the biggest impact. Running on Windows only results in a noticeable louder system under maximum load, but you will otherwise not notice a difference.

The benchmark Unigine Valley (macOS) did not increase the fan speed, for example, just like the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark (Windows). We performed the macOS stress test with Unigine Valley and the Cinebench R15 Multi, which resulted in pleasant 39.7 dB(A) after a few minutes. The fan speed quickly decreased after the period and we only determined the maximum load of 47.9 dB(A) under extreme load (Windows) and during gaming. However, gaming was noticeably louder in 4K/5K, and much quieter in 1080p so there might still be some driver issues.

Noise Level

Idle
29.8 / 29.8 / 29.8 dB(A)
Load
39.7 / 47.9 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 29.1 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2042.339.934.436.531.934.240.22532.635.132.229.23029.729.13137.435.332.830.931.430.232.74035.332.535.428.628.93039.95040.739.532.433.129.627.532.56329.228.934.529.527.426.834.58028.226.731.128.22624.926.610032.429.633.330.42423.82812532.827.535.73323.32330.816034.428.440.13022.821.925.52003530.739.231.622.221.725.325032.225.434.629.521.22124.331533.12737.330.520.919.522.340032.926.737.330.320.119.120.850034.526.938.132.719.918.219.963035.827.640.432.819.118.21980033.62537.829.818.217.318.1100035.225.240.331.318.617.320.7125034.424.939.930.318.716.718.6160032.924.437.629.117.21617.4200032.92337.729.316.515.616.2250027.318.132.822.51615.915.9315024.41731.42016.416.116.1400020.216.726.817.916.716.416.3500018.716.923.217.316.816.516.6630017.517.119.917.217.216.916.9800017.317.318.917.217.117.117.21000017.317.317.817.317.317.117.21250017.217.217.517.117.217.117.11600017.117.117.117.117.11717SPL43.134.947.939.729.829.130.3N4.12.25.93.21.31.21.4median 32.8median 24.9median 35.7median 29.5median 18.2median 17.1median 18.1Delta6.55.47.26.61.91.63.1hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseApple iMac Pro

Temperature

Stress test after 100 minutes
Stress test after 100 minutes

The surface temperatures of a desktop system are obviously not as important as on a mobile device such as a laptop because the device probably sits on the desk anyway. All in all, the cooling solution performs well, and we cannot determine critical temperatures even under load. Only the area around the fan exhaust (directly behind the stand) warms up to more than 45 °C (~113 °F), but this is not critical.

This is "only" the entry-level model of the iMac Pro, but the cooling solution already has a hard time when you stress both the CPU & GPU. The graphics card is favored and maintains its maximum clock during the whole test, but the processor has to reduce its clock a bit. 8x 3.6 GHz (instead of 3.9 GHz) corresponds with a consumption of 136 W, but the CPU temperature is very high at 100 °C (212 °F) on average, which is not uncommon for Apple though. Solid results, but you might not have a performance advantage in this scenario when you get an iMac Pro with more powerful components.

Max. Load
 29.8 °C
86 F
31.2 °C
88 F
30.1 °C
86 F
 
 29.9 °C
86 F
30.8 °C
87 F
28.9 °C
84 F
 
 29.3 °C
85 F
30.2 °C
86 F
28.4 °C
83 F
 
Maximum: 31.2 °C = 88 F
Average: 29.8 °C = 86 F
32.2 °C
90 F
32 °C
90 F
32.3 °C
90 F
32.1 °C
90 F
46.1 °C
115 F
33.4 °C
92 F
29.5 °C
85 F
37.6 °C
100 F
31.3 °C
88 F
Maximum: 46.1 °C = 115 F
Average: 34.1 °C = 93 F
Room Temperature 21.6 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.8 °C / 86 F, compared to the average of 29.7 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Desktop.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 31.2 °C / 88 F, compared to the average of 34.4 °C / 94 F, ranging from 25 to 47 °C for the class Desktop.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46.1 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 34 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.2 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 29.7 °C / 85 F.
Surface temperatures under load
Surface temperatures under load

Speakers

You do not need external speakers unless you plan on watching Hollywood blockbuster movies or listen to a lot of music all the time. The two stereo modules are loud at up to 86 dB(A) and create a very balanced sound. It is even quite powerful thanks to the larger area.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2034.2362529.7363130.240.14030465027.557.56326.861.78024.962.810023.875.21252379.416021.981.820021.782.62502177.231519.575.940019.175.350018.276.863018.27880017.376.8100017.376.6125016.771.616001677.7200015.674.7250015.972.6315016.173.4400016.469.7500016.567.6630016.961.3800017.163.41000017.1611250017.162.1160001759.5SPL29.186.1N1.276.8median 17.1median 75.3Delta1.64.235.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseApple iMac ProApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Apple iMac Pro audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.5% away from median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.7% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | reduced highs - on average 8.2% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (9.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 25% of all tested devices in this class were better, 13% similar, 63% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 17%, worst was 46%
Compared to all devices tested
» 2% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 97% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

We were quite surprised that the consumption values are pretty similar between macOS and Windows 10, so the BootCamp drivers are pretty well optimized. The idle consumption is between 50 W and 89 W, which sounds like a lot for laptop users. However, you have to consider the desktop components and the large & bright 27-inch panel in particular.

The consumption obviously fluctuates depending on the application. We measure values between 150 W (3DMark 06) and 260 W (Unigine Valley macOS/Witcher 3 Win 10). Our measurement device shows up to 508.5 W under maximum load, so we have already passed the nominal output of the 500 W power adapter, so there is no more headroom for more powerful components in this scenario.

The standby consumption fluctuates between 5 and 6 W depending on the OS, which could be lower.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.08 / 5.7 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 49.5 / 86.7 / 88.9 Watt
Load midlight 150.1 / 508.5 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Verdict

Pros

+ great chassis
+ good performance utilization
+ usually very quiet operation
+ good speakers
+ very comprehensive port selection
+ very good 5K screen
+ fast SD card reader

Cons

- limited maintenance
- limited service offers
- cooling performance under maximum load
- enormous prices for hardware options
- tricky port access
- screen calibration could be better ex-works
In review: Apple iMac Pro. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.
In review: Apple iMac Pro. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.

Do you really need an iMac Pro or is a regular iMac sufficient? Well, if you have this question you probably do not need the Pro version, because the professional components are for a special user group. The additional cores of the Xeon CPUs have to be utilized, otherwise it is not faster. It is the same situation for the graphics cards. If that is the case, you can just get the regular 5K iMac, which is much more affordable and offers the same screen.

But the iMac Pro is not a really convincing workstation anyway. Yes, the performance is very good, but the cooling solution already has problems with the entry-level components under maximum load. The screen could be better calibrated ex-works and you will need an external screen for graphics work in the AdobeRGB color space. Other drawbacks for a professional system include the limited/complicated as well as the limited service options. If you rely on a system for work, you will most probably purchase additional service such as on-site repair. Other manufacturers like Dell, HP, and Lenovo clearly have an advantage in this respect.

The entry-level price is high, but certainly not completely overpriced considering the components. The Intel Xeon processor alone costs more than $1100 US, but we cannot understand the massive prices for additional RAM and storage. The iMac Pro definitely has a certain appeal and performs well, but it is not the right choice for all professional users.

Apple iMac Pro - 06/27/2018 v6(old)
Andreas Osthoff

Chassis
92 / 98 → 94%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
79 / 81 → 97%
Weight
0%
Battery
0%
Display
82%
Games Performance
86%
Application Performance
95%
Temperature
93%
Noise
85%
Audio
90%
Camera
63 / 85 → 74%
Add Points
-2%
Average
79%
87%
Desktop - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Apple iMac Pro (Xeon W-2140B, Radeon Pro Vega 56) Review
Andreas Osthoff, 2018-07- 1 (Update: 2019-03- 9)