Well, I just got my MacBook Pro, and I've been running some pseudo-benchmark
tests.   I have access to three machines:

1. 1.8 GHz MacBook Pro 2 GB,
2. 867 MHz Powerbook G4 12" 640 MB,
3. 1.6 GHz Powermac G5, 1.25 GB

According to Apple, the MacBook Pro is supposed to be 2-4 times the speed of
the 1.5 GHz Powerbook G4, so closer to 3-7 times the speed of my 0.8 GHz
PBG4.

First the GOOD NEWS: POV-Ray runs on the MacBook Pro!
  (Else MacBook Pro -> Trash.)

Now the tests: I ran the same input file and render settings on these
machines.  However, this does not constitute a rigorous benchmark and
should be taken with (a lot of) salt.

Running POV-Ray 3.6 for Mac OS Frontend Build 197 (the PPC version with
GUI), here are the render times:

1.8 GHz MBP: 883 s
867 MHz PBG4: 935 s
1.6 GHz PMG5, 1.25 GB:  333 s

On the MacBook Pro, top shows Approx. 100% of *ONE* cpu-core is working for
POV-Ray,
system is close to 50% idle.  (Quick tests of running two copies at once
don't show any real speed gain.)

That done, I compiled the generic unix version of POV-Ray.  This is just a
straight installation.

It gave me the message "Well I'll be, a i686-apple-darwin8.5.2 system."   =)
The compiled version says "Persistence of Vision(tm) Ray Tracer Version
3.6.1 (g++ 4.0.1 @ i686-apple-darwin8.5.2)"

The generic unix version compiles, checks, and runs, but
hangs part-way through benchmark render (After 6 minutes,
no more progress reported, but core still at 100%)

To get some benchmark at all, I rendered the same .pov file, but with a
smaller output size. Here are the results:

1.8 GHz MBP: 69 s (Native unix version)
1.8 GHz MBP: 68 s (PPC GUI version)
1.6 GHz PMG5: 27 s  (PPC GUI version)

(It's surprisingly close in its performance to that of the PPC version
running under rosetta-- I can't help but wondering if some PPC code is
getting in there somehow.  On the other hand, the install script correctly
picks the target architecture, so I don't see how it would. )

Finally, I checked MegaPOV... and it doesn't work.
MacMegaPOV Mach-O  1.2.1  (PPC GUI version) : Does not launch (!)
Megapov 1.2.1 (Unix): Errors prevent "make check" from completing.

To summarize: On the new Intel-based Macs, POV-Ray runs, about as fast as on
a 1 GHz G4.  Using a dumb, straighforward install of the unix version, the
program seems to hang easily and is as slow as the emulated PowerPC
version.  MegaPOV, both in unix and GUI versions is broken.

I'd be happy to help, in any way that I can, the evolution of POV-Ray and
MegaPOV to the Intel-based macs.  If anyone has a version that they're
interested in testing, please let me know.

Thanks,
-Windell.

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