How does the performance of the high-end Core i5/i7-powered "Mid-2010" Aluminum iMac models compare to the entry-level "Mid-2010/Nehalem" Mac Pro? Who should consider an iMac? Who should consider a Mac Pro?

Apple did not release official benchmarks comparing the performance of the high-end iMac "Core i5" 2.8 27-Inch (Mid-2010) and the entry-level Mac Pro "Quad Core" 2.8 (2010/Nehalem).

However, EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison feature makes it easy to compare these models with side-by-side average Geekbench benchmarks to get a general idea of the relative the maximum theoretical performance difference. When averaged soon after each was released, the iMac "Core i5" 2.8 27-Inch (Mid-2010) stock returned an average of 6766, the iMac "Core i5" 2.8 27-Inch (Mid-2010) custom configured with a 2.93 GHz "Core i7" processor (available as a US$200 optional upgrade) returned an average of 9977, and the entry-level Mac Pro "Quad Core" 2.8 (2010/Nehalem) returned an average of 9865. These averages may be subject to change as users benchmark additional systems and submit the results to the excellent Geekbench website.

Geekbench benchmarks are useful, but as they are theoretical, real-world performance tests are quite useful as well.

For real-world performance, the industry-standard MacWorld reported:

Comparing the new quad-core 2.8 GHz Mac Pro to the [US]$1999 27-inch iMac with a 2.8GHz Core i5 quad-core processor, the [US$2499] Mac Pro scores almost 6 percent higher overall, with wins in Photoshop (10 percent), Cinebench and MathematicaMark (17 percent for both). Both iMovie tests and the Finder Unzip tests were also faster on the Mac Pro. The iMac finished the compressor test a little less than 3 percent faster than the quad core Mac Pro and was 11 percent faster at the iTunes encoding tests.

Ultimately, the high-end Core i5 and i7-powered "Mid-2010" iMac models provide performance that is often quite close to the entry-level Mac Pro -- and sometimes even faster -- at a more affordable price. Those with professional needs but a "consumer" budget would be wise to buy a "Mid-2010" iMac. For high-end professionals who need additional expansion options -- more than two internal storage drives, additional RAM, or expansion cards -- as well as performance and the option of a "matte" display (or more than two large displays), the Mac Pro remains the only Apple option.

To dynamically compare the performance of any "Mid-2010" iMac or Mac Pro model to any other G3 or later Mac with Geekbench benchmarks, please see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison feature.

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