Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Early MacBook benchmarks show performance well behind Pro, Air

By

early macbook benchmarks show 2011 era performance new logic board 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Apple’s new MacBook is insanely thin, featherweight and doesn’t require a cooling fan, all of which are commendable traits. Yet they don’t come without compromise. To achieve its design goals, Cupertino’s engineers have used Intel Core M processors, which we know are slower than their standard Core equivalents. The only question was how much slower the new MacBook would be.

Now we know. A pair of early results have appeared in the GeekBench database. The single-core figures come in at 1,924 and 2,044, while the multi-core results come in at 4,038 and 4,475. According to the data, these figures were generated by a system with the entry-level 1.1GHz Core M-5Y31 processor.

Recommended Videos

How do those results stack up? The latest MacBook Pro 13 with Retina scored 3,007 in GeekBench’s single-core test and 6,596 in the multi-core test, so it would seem the Pro is about a third quicker than the new MacBook.

Related

The figures are no more favorable when compared to Windows ultrabooks. These scores, if placed in our line-up of GeekBench results, would be the worst that we’ve recorded since the Zotac Zbox OI520, which had an Intel Core i5-4200U processor. Most systems reviewed at least break the 2,000 mark in the single-core benchmark, and the Samsung Ativ Book 9, a close competitor to the Apple MacBook, scored 2,515 when we tested it.

It now seems certain that it will prove substantially slower than even the entry-level Air, perhaps so much so that it impacts the “average” owner. Buyers may have a hard time accepting inferior performance from a machine that’s priced at $1,300. Here’s hoping battery life and build quality blow us away, because these early benchmark results aren’t promising.

Apple will be release its new addition to the MacBook line on April 10th at $1,299 for the base model.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
If you buy one MacBook Air alternative, make it this one
The MacBook Air on a white table.

I see you. You're considering a flashy new MacBook Air -- perhaps one of the new M3 models or even the cheaper M2 configurations. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like that isn't a wise option to consider for your next laptop. These are excellent laptops, and that M2 model in particular is a solid value at a starting price of $999.

But let me make an appeal to you about a laptop that upends the value proposition of the MacBook Air in a number of ways. The laptop I'm talking about is the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425MA). This is a laptop we reviewed earlier this year, but it continues to be the king of value. No other laptop you can buy right now offers this much bang for your buck -- the MacBook Air included.

Read more
The biggest threat to the MacBook this year might come from Apple itself
The MacBook Air on a white table.

MacBooks have held a dominant position in the laptop world for the past few years. Though there have been meaningful rivals from the Windows side of the aisle, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro still feel like they hold an unshakeable lead at the moment.

But according to the latest reports, the most serious challenger to the MacBook's reign won't come from Windows -- it'll come from within Apple in the form of some very advanced new iPads.
What's a computer?

Read more
The case for buying the M2 MacBook Air over the M3 model
The screen of the MacBook Air M2.

Apple's MacBook Air M2 recently stood at the top of our list of best laptops, and for good reason. It's incredibly well-built, exuding an elegance that few laptops can match. It's also plenty fast for productivity users, and its GPU is optimized for creators. Its keyboard, touchpad, and display are all top-notch.

Enter the MacBook Air M3, which (hint) took over the MacBook Air's place on that list. The upgraded chipset offers even faster performance, particularly in GPU-intensive apps, and the M3 model supports an additional external display (with the display closed). It's $100 more, but is that uptick in price justified? Let's dig in.
Specs and configurations

Read more