Geekbench shows 2018 MacBook Pro has the biggest annual performance gain since 2011

2018 The MacBook Pro models show the largest annual performance gains since 2011, according to Geekbench founder John Poole.

Geekbench 4 scores indicate that the latest 15-inch models show a 12 to 15 percent increase in single-core performance, while multi-core performance increases 39 to 46 percent over equivalent 2017 models.

A new 15-inch MacBook Pro with the best performing 2.9 GHz Intel Core i9 processor, with Turbo Boost up to 4.8 GHz, has a rating of 22,439, for example , an increase of 44.3% compared to a 2017 model with a better Core i7 and Turbo Boost 4.1 GHz to 4.1 GHz.

Similarly, for the latest 13-inch models, the Geekbench scores show a 3 to 11% increase in single-core performance and an impressive 81 to 86% increase in multicore performance over the equivalent 2017 models.

A new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the most powerful 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, with Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz, achieved a multi-core score of 17 557, an increase of 83.8% over a 2017 model with the best dual-core Core i7 and Turbo Boost from 3.5 GHz up to 4.0 GHz.

Poole attributes increased performance to additional cores, higher Turbo Boost frequencies, and the transition to DDR4 memory.

The 2018 MacBook Pro models incorporate eighth-generation Intel Core processors, with up to six cores on 15-inch models and up to four-core on 13-inch models, the first two. Refreshment marked the first increase in hearts since 2011, when the first 15-inch MacBook Pro quad-core models were released.

Interestingly, as Poole notes, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar are now competitive with the 15-inch models starting in 2017 in single-core and multi-core performance, making it a smaller replacement.

Poole also notes that these Geekbench scores are preliminary and should increase over the next few weeks, as on all new machines, macOS accomplishes several installation tasks in the background that can temporarily degrade performance. He says these tasks vary and may take several days to complete.

Apple announces that the new 15-inch MacBook Pro is up to 70% faster and the new 13-inch model is twice as fast as the equivalent 2017 models, but Poole tells MacRumors that other benchmarks can show different results than Geekbench. Performance in actual use will also vary.

Geekbench 4 is a popular GPU and cross-platform benchmark from Primate Labs, with applications available for Mac and iPhone and iPad.