MACINTOSH VS. WINDOWS 95 #2: PERFORMANCE

August 11, 1995



#2: PERFORMANCE


 SUMMARY
 THE MAC ADVANTAGE
 WHAT IT MEANS FOR USERS
 WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE
 QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
 FOOTNOTES



 SUMMARY


A Power Macintosh computer was more than 50% faster than a comparable Intel 
Pentium processor-based PC running Windows, in independent tests using a 
variety of real-world applications.  The Mac advantage was even more 
substantial in graphics and technical programs.  This gives Macintosh the 
performance high ground in the industry transition toward graphical, 
media-intensive computing. 


This is part of a series of short reports on the contrasts between a Macintosh 
computer and a PC with Windows 95.  To see other entries in the series, visit 
us after August 15 on the Internet at http://www.apple.com/whymac/.


 THE MAC ADVANTAGE

The PowerPC chips used in Macintosh often outperform Intel Pentium chips, 
sometimes by a wide margin.  For instance, a Power Macintosh 9500/120 
outperformed a 120 MHz Pentium computer by 52% overall in independent 
benchmarks.*  The Macintosh performance advantage was even greater in some 
areas -- the scientific and technical applications tested were an average of 
73% faster, and in graphics and publishing the Macintosh was 85% faster. 


The tests were run on real applications, performing typical computing tasks. 
Programs tested included Excel, DeltaGraph, Word, Vellum, FoxPro, ClarisWorks,
Freehand, Mathematica, Painter, and FrameMaker.


What others have said:

"The 132MHz 604-based Power Mac leaves 133MHz Pentium in the dust."
	--PC Week, June 19, 1995


"The [Power Macintosh 9500] 120-MHz beta unit we tested was so damn speedy we 
were forced to revamp our suite of benchmarks to accommodate it"
	  --InfoWorld, June 19, 1995



 WHAT IT MEANS FOR USERS


First and most obviously, if you're using a Pentium processor-based computer
for technical work or graphics, you may be wasting your time.  But power is
important to every sort of user.  If you're a business user, it means business
graphics programs such as DeltaGraph run* faster and more efficiently on the 
Mac, making your organization more productive.  If you're a home user, that 
extra power lets you run games like LucasArts' Dark Forces in higher 
resolution, and lets you try out innovative new 3D games that aren't available
or aren't as effective for the PC, such as Marathon, A-10 Attack, and F/A-18. 

If you work in education, more power means the computer can handle more 
complex, realistic simulations and other learning tools.  It also means the 
computer is less likely to become obsolete, an important issue for schools 
that can't replace their computers frequently. 


 WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE

Look at what Intel and Microsoft say the computers of the future will do -- 
video, sound, 3D, etc.  Macintosh does those things very well today.  Apple 
is moving ahead to future versions of the PowerPC chip, and has shipped the 
new 604 chip already.  Meanwhile, Intel is still trying to jump-start the P6 
transition --

and there are serious doubts about whether Windows 95 will see any major 
performance benefits from it.  Intel has not been clear on its long-term plans
for P7 or the processor it's developing with Hewlett-Packard, and when either
one will ship.  Once again, Macintosh is delivering the future of personal 
computing ahead of time.



 QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?


You can send e-mail to the Mac Platform Marketing team at 
competition@applelink.apple.com.



 FOOTNOTES

*Benchmarks were conducted by Competitive Assessment Services, an independent 
testing service, on equivalently configured Power Macintosh and x86 
processor-based PCs running Windows.  The tests consisted of measuring the 
actual elapsed timed required to perform various tasks.  Unlike processor-only
or low-level benchmarks, the test results reflect application-level 
performance running real applications on actual systems.  The tasks involved a
mix of integer, floating point, disk and graphics activities.  The 
pplications used were Excel, Word, ClarisWorks, FoxPro, Freehand, Painter, 
FrameMaker, DeltaGraph, Mathematica and Ashlar Vellum.


(c) Copyright 1995, Apple Computer.  All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple 
Logo, Macintosh and Power Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.,
registered in the US and other jurisdictions. Mac and Power Mac are trademarks 
of Apple Computer, Inc.. PowerPC is a trademark of IBM used under license. 

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