PowerMac 970 Benchmarks?

MacBidouille posts, what it claims to be, early benchmarks from PowerMac 970 machines.

The site has hinted that it has received such benchmarks, but has not published them until now. English translations are provided on their site. In brief, the site claims to have both early benchmarks as well as graphs depicting production machines running at single 1.4GHz, Dual 1.6GHz and Dual 1.8GHz.

The preliminary benchmarks reportedly reflect that the single 1.4GHz PPC 970 is anywhere from 87% to 254% faster than a current Dual 1.42GHz G4 machine depending on the specific test (Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Alias|Wavefront Maya Render).

The second series of benchmarks (supposedly on production machines) shows different benchmarks (Cinema 4D-XL, Photoshop, Bryce 5) as comparison, which again shows significant (thought perhaps not as dramatic) improvements of the 1.4GHz 970 vs the Dual 1.4GHz G4s, and also graphs Dual 1.8GHz 970 machine perfromances.


    Looking closely to these results we understand why Apple didn't need to wait for a 64 bits OS to launch the PPC 970. We'll take advantage of a 50% gain of performance between he up-market Pro G4 and the first PPC 970. We can imagine the difference with the top level PPC 970. It will be the best evolution ever between two Mac generations.


Note: Several users note that Bryce (in its current form) does not support Multiprocessors.

Fake?:One reader notes that the graph times for the PPC G4 Dual 1.42 and Pentium IV 3GHz are identical to old benchmarks posted at Barefeats. Barefeats appears to use their own test suites rather than any standard suites, making these numbers appear suspicious.

Related Roundup: Mac Pro
Buyer's Guide: Mac Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: Mac Pro

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Apple Expected to Launch These 10+ Products Over the Coming Months

Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more. Apple is expected to release/update the following products...