Mac M2 users here? Impressive enough for DAZ render?
iSeeThis
Posts: 552
in The Commons
I have tried to search for a topic like this but found none. I am curious because I am planning to buy the M3 iMac Pro by the end of this year (if the rumors are true). Some sources claim that the M2 is equal to, if not better than, the 3090, but this is not a DAZ render test. I just want to have a glimpse of what to expect from the M3 when rendering DAZ Studio jobs. Thank you!
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M2 is 3.6 tflops while a 3090 is 35.58 tflops so about ten times faster. Unless you're talking about M2-MAX that's 13.6 tflops so about a half 3090. Of course a PC with a 3090 is much cheaper than a Mac with M2-MAX, but this usually doesn't bother Mac people.
p.s. Also consider that's raw power. That is, iray will use optix with the 3090 that's more optimized than using the cpu. For example the iray denoiser doesn't work with the cpu.
p.p.s. My personal advice, if you want to work with 3D go grab a PC, not a Mac. Then a high-end nvidia card is your best option for daz studio.
No, not even close.
I was one of the first people to desktop publish books on a mac plus* (Hypatia Press) starting in 1987 and have owned dozens over the years and probably still have ten sitting around in misc places.
But I switched to get video cards for gaming. I built my current machine (dual xeon 2630 v3, 64g ddr4 (4 - 16s with 12 more slots open), 980gt 6g) for the same $2000 mac would have sold me their then current mac pro tower (1 1630 v2) 16g ddr3 (4 fours in 4 slots) and 4g video).
Upgraded to a titanx along the way and money willing I can toss 1 or 2 3090s or 40xxs in the same box. (and if we were still stuck in 3dl days, I could upgrade to a pair of 2696s for the cpus.
Without having to update the computer <<< see without having to update the computer>>
Oh, yeah and the 30 TBs in 6 internal drives which will soon be jumped to 54. (and I keep forgetting the mobo has connecters for a 4 drive array, too).
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If you have unlimited resources and can replace your mac every couple of years, mac might be where to be.
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I don't think any of us don't expect gpu upgrades to not continue over the next ten years having suddenly reached their apex of apexes.
Besides if all you have to do is upgrade the video you'll still have money for daz. right?
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*somewhere back in the early 80s for a mere $8000 I got a mac FX which was supposed to be the future of computing... I think it was for 2 years then they decided all the innovations in it really weren't that hot and deadended the line.
I have limited knowledge about hardware specifications. Your informative words have truly enlightened me. Thank you very much!
Thank you very much Alan. Actually I don't have that unlimited resource :D I have iMac Pro 2017 and a PC with 3090. Point is, if M3 is close to 3090, then I can sell or give my PC away to my cousin (guess M3 is at least 50% faster or something like that). It's very good to work with just one machine, especially Mac.
Will disagree with some generalized sentiments - my 2012 Mac Pro could so some very heavy duty DAZ Iray rendering and script runs up until Apple brought a halt to playing nice with NVIDIA cards. On the other hand, I agree - dont buy the current hype Apple blathers on about with the M series chips - they may have faster "core computing power" but the GPU's themselves are weak sauce driving monitor refreshes and not used for hardcore rendering computations. Apple essentially took themselves out of the 3D art realm in favor of multimedia playback. STILL - It all depends on what one wishes to do. I can use my daily driver iMAC M1 to quickly do "simple" portraits or figure 3D renders, then use Ps to merge and build my art. But anything beyond simple, single figures, such as multiple renders for a figure portfolio, figures inserted into a background setting, animations, etc. your gonna have nasty issues - including overheating and shutdowns. Nothing has changed with the M+,M2, M+MAX or M3 series to warrant a relook into thier use for DAZ. Best to build a personalized PC with as much of a GPU as your budget allows if you need to go beyond puttering around with DAZ.
I do Daz3d just for fun. I'm upgrading from M1 to M2 Mac for other reasons. Will I notice any difference between M1 and M2 using Daz3D? Any observations? This won't affect my purchase, just curious what to expect.