Ivy Bridge iMac And MacBook Pro Revealed In Benchmarks

As we edge ever closer to June, more and more signs keep cropping up that Apple is poised to refresh its line of iMacs and Macbook Pros with Intel's new Ivy Bridge chips. The latest tip comes from benchmarks posted to GeekBench with new iMac and Macbook Pro models featuring the new platform, providing detailed scores compared to old models, plus an idea of what processors we can expect to see.

The first entry on GeekBench is for the iMac13,2, which Cult of Mac believes corresponds to a 27-inch model featuring a quad-core Intel i7-3770 clocked at 3.4Ghz. The new iMac received a score of 12,182, coming in slightly higher than current Sandy Bridge models which score around 11,500. GeekBench also holds benchmarks for a new 13-inch MacBook Pro running an internal version of Mountain Lion and an Intel i7-3820QM running at 2.7Ghz.

Benchmarks of Ivy Bridge chips have showed a 10-15% increase over Sandy Bridge chips, although Intel's integrated graphics have also seen a big boost. The HD 4000 shows a 20 to 100% improvement over the HD 3000 found in the Macbook Air and Macbook Pros depending on the scenario.

Rumors have indicated that the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Pro would receive an Air-esque variant, dropping the optical drive and slimming down the chassis. High resolution icons found in Lion and Mountain Lion have also pointed towards high-resolution displays for the Macbook Pros. Stock levels for the current 15-inch MacBook Pro are also low, a tell-tale sign that a refresh is on the horizon.