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Likely False 13-Inch Skylake MacBook Pro Showing Up in Benchmarks

Monday January 18, 2016 1:21 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
SP715-display_mbp_13A pair of benchmark results uploaded to Geekbench 3 on January 14 purportedly belong to a next-generation Skylake-based 13" Retina MacBook Pro, but they more likely represent a Hackintosh.

The benchmarks report the machine as running an announced but unreleased 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-6567U processor, which would be appropriate for the high-end 13-inch model, and includes integrated Intel Iris Graphics 550 graphics. As a result, the results have generated some excitement among those eagerly awaiting Skylake notebooks from Apple.

Nevertheless, there are some unusual aspects of the benchmarks that suggest the results could belong to a Hackintosh instead.

First, the 15W4314 build number of OS X 10.11.3 shown in the results is an anomaly. Unreleased machines typically have unique build numbers due to customizations needed to support the new machines, but the "15W" prefix on the build number doesn't fit Apple's naming pattern even for custom builds. The build number for any machine running OS X 10.11.3 should begin with "15D", following Apple's naming pattern of "15A" for OS X 10.11.0, "15B" for OS X 10.11.1, "15C" for OS X 10.11.2 and "15D" for OS X 10.11.3.

Geekbench-SLKCRB1-1
The model identifier SKLCRB1,1 also does not line up with any of Apple's other pre-release identifiers. The reported 6GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM is also suspect in both the amount and speed of the memory.

Moreover, the single-score and multi-score scores of around 2,500 and 4,500 respectively are lower than the current high-end 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which has a Broadwell Core i7-5557U chip. The Early 2015 model has single-core and multi-core scores of around 3,099 and 6,477 respectively.

Another sign that may point towards a Hackintosh is a motherboard ID of 50619A408DB004DA, which matches several benchmarks that have MacBookPro8,1 model identifiers but use desktop-class processors. That corresponds to a 13-inch MacBook Pro released in 2011.

Intel has slowly released Skylake processors since late 2015, and Apple will likely update at least part of its Mac notebook lineup with the new chips in the first half of 2016.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Caution)
[ 86 comments ]


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cmChimera
48 months ago

Why do you think it's fake?

Probably the reasons described in the article.
Rating: 26 Votes
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RobertMartens
48 months ago

My MacBook Pro (with SuperDrive) is due for an update, I'd like to stick with a MacBook Pro, and would really appreciate even less weight.


What is this, how you say, 'superdrive'? Something to do with the new Apple Car, no?
Rating: 10 Votes
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Goldfrapp
48 months ago
I doubt it's fake. It's about time.
Rating: 7 Votes
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peterh988
48 months ago
I just want space grey!

Sad, I know :)
Rating: 7 Votes
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djbuddha
48 months ago
Too little RAM and a duplicate identifier to an older 2011 MacBook (which is extremely common in the hackintosh world)... This is a hackintosh .. I bet they found Skylake kexts (drivers) in the new beta and somebody is messing around with a Skylake laptop to see if it boots.

edit: Skylake drivers are in El Capitan as newer iMacs have Skylake chips .. My bad!
Rating: 5 Votes
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SSD-GUY
48 months ago
My fellow Hackintoshers causing havoc I see!
Rating: 4 Votes
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gpat
48 months ago
It would be about time for the real thing.
Rating: 4 Votes
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XTheLancerX
48 months ago

Would be great if this were real.

No it wouldn't. Those benchmarks they give make for one hell of a slow 13" rMBP. The iPad Pro outperforms whatever was benchmarked here. It wasn't a MacBook Pro with a skylake chip that's for sure.

We will be seeing a new rMBP soon enough, it's past due. Just wait for the next event I'm sure it will be announced.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Kagio
48 months ago
New design? I just want to know if they'll come with new design...
Rating: 4 Votes
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jamescharley22
48 months ago

It will .. Because Thunderbolt 3 is delivered over a USB-C port and Apple will redesign to support the new port. Thunderbolt 2 will be adapted with adapters over Thunderbolt 3. Classic Apple. Just leave the 2 USB ports alone. The pros needs at least that.

I wouldn't consider just updating to Thunderbolt 3 being a redesign. That's more of an update, really. Now if they switched to an Air design with USB Type-A ports to the back and Thunderbolt 3 ports closer up front, that would be a redesign.

I'm confident in saying I'm one of the few, if not the only person, that wants Apple to go thinner with just Thunderbolt 3 ports (in addition to a headphone jack and maybe an SDXC card slot given the small profile) and rely on the USB-C backwards compatibility. That would help push the USB market more towards USB-C and help invigorate the Thunderbolt 3 market. Then again, I'm not a professional, but even then, a lot of people who aren't professionals still pick up the MacBook Pro. My MacBook Pro (with SuperDrive) is due for an update, I'd like to stick with a MacBook Pro, and would really appreciate even less weight.
Rating: 3 Votes

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