MacBook Pro 2016 V MacPro 6.1

[Graham_Higgins]

Hi was just considering selling my MacBook Pro 15" Retina display.
2.9Ghz intel core i7,
It's fairly fast, but for 3d work was considering a trash can 2014 version second hand.

Would the quad core, be faster by much?

Or would 6, 8 core be necessary...

Thanks

 

[t8er8]

Hi was just considering selling my MacBook Pro 15" Retina display.
2.9Ghz intel core i7,
It's fairly fast, but for 3d work was considering a trash can 2014 version second hand.

Would the quad core, be faster by much?

Or would 6, 8 core be necessary...

Thanks

It’ll definitely be faster than your laptop and if you’re set on a trash can Mac Pro get at least a 6 core.

But, qThe trash can Mac Pro is still super overpriced, and lacks performance for that price. I’d either wait and get the new one coming in 2019. Or if you’re down for a project, pick up a 6-12 core 2010 Mac Pro and give it some upgrades, you can make the 2010 and 2012 Mac pros a hell of a lot faster for way less than the trash can.

But really for the performance boost you’d get from the trash can, you’d be dissapointed with the price you paid.

 

[Naimfan]

Hi was just considering selling my MacBook Pro 15" Retina display.
2.9Ghz intel core i7,
It's fairly fast, but for 3d work was considering a trash can 2014 version second hand.

Would the quad core, be faster by much?

Or would 6, 8 core be necessary...

Thanks

Get a used 6 core with D500 GPUs, or a used 4 core with D5/700 GPUs and upgrade the CPU.

 

[Graham_Higgins]

But I think 3d applications such as Maya, use less cores for rendering?

so the quad core 3.7 would be better than the 6,or 8 core no?

unless I'm mistaken...


Thanks
[doublepost=1526135913][/doublepost]and is there a difference between desktops and laptops?

should I keep my laptop - or would I notice a difference when simulating in 3d apps,

 

[orph]

is maya the main app you will be using? (different apps are cpu/gpu or core/thread limited as well as ram/GPUram limited so a list off relevant apps is needed to gess how each system relates in speed)
just check some benchmarks or how it uses GPU/CPU and see if there's comparisons on the GPU/cpu your laptop uses and the 6.1 uses to compare speed in a realistic way.

found some cpu comparisons
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...-14-16-and-18-core-Skylake-X-Processors-1045/

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...PU-Comparison-Skylake-X-vs-Threadripper-1020/

this one is older (maya 2014) GPU comparison
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/AutoDesk-Maya-2014-Professional-GPU-Acceleration-509/
and it has the "firepro w7000,w8000,w9000" which is the D300,D500,D700 (just the macpro ones are under clocked or on lower power)

also if your apps do use GPU's check to see if there able to use two at once or if they are limited to single GPU speed.

and dont make the mistake one of my friends just did, he spent his budget on a 8700K and only got a GTX1050TI for 3D rendering in his new PC for an app (lumion) that is entirely GPU dependent for 3D rendering he'd have been better of with a cheep CPU and a much faster GPU

and im sad to say worth looking at a windows or linux with a used pc for cost/speed, the macpros tend to cost more used than a same specked pc (hack even?)

 

[Graham_Higgins]

Thanks for info guys. But still doesn't solve my conundrum.

Do I sell my MacBook and get a desktop?

The laptop seems to struggle when dealing with high polygon count in Maya...

Thanks
Graham

is maya the main app you will be using? (different apps are cpu/gpu or core/thread limited as well as ram/GPUram limited so a list off relevant apps is needed to gess how each system relates in speed)
just check some benchmarks or how it uses GPU/CPU and see if there's comparisons on the GPU/cpu your laptop uses and the 6.1 uses to compare speed in a realistic way.

found some cpu comparisons
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...-14-16-and-18-core-Skylake-X-Processors-1045/

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...PU-Comparison-Skylake-X-vs-Threadripper-1020/

this one is older (maya 2014) GPU comparison
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/AutoDesk-Maya-2014-Professional-GPU-Acceleration-509/
and it has the "firepro w7000,w8000,w9000" which is the D300,D500,D700 (just the macpro ones are under clocked or on lower power)

also if your apps do use GPU's check to see if there able to use two at once or if they are limited to single GPU speed.

and dont make the mistake one of my friends just did, he spent his budget on a 8700K and only got a GTX1050TI for 3D rendering in his new PC for an app (lumion) that is entirely GPU dependent for 3D rendering he'd have been better of with a cheep CPU and a much faster GPU

and im sad to say worth looking at a windows or linux with a used pc for cost/speed, the macpros tend to cost more used than a same specked pc (hack even?)

snks

 

[Kris Kelvin]

For displaying high polygon counts, a fast GPU helps. The D700 in the Mac Pro 2013 would supposedly be faster than the Radeon Pro 460 in your MacBook Pro – but only by 30% or so. Also, it depends on the resolution of the screen you're using.

For (CPU-based) rendering, the more cores the better.

My advice: Test Maya with a few of your scenes on an actual MacPro (maybe a local Apple Store or so). In theory, you should be able use target disk mode on your MacBook Pro and let the MacPro 2013 boot from it (Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 cable required though).

 

[jclmavg]

If Maya can use CUDA or OpenCL for view-screen rendering, a 6 or 8-core Mac Pro 2013 with a solid eGPU is a good option. I would not pay attention to the internal Radeon cards, they're just too old.

 

[Graham_Higgins]

Thanks Kevin I agree.
I will test a scene on a Mac Pro somewhere, will obviously give a good comparison. Just a bit of hassle installing right software etc.

But in general are laptops slower than desktops?

Is it possible the MacBook is as fast as a Mac Pro. Surely not?

 

[Kris Kelvin]

But in general are laptops slower than desktops?

Yes. Batteries only contain a limited amount of energy, so Laptops are to designed to be efficient instead of providing maximal performance. Additionally, they need to be able to get rid of the heat without giant fans or loud fan noises.

Is it possible the MacBook is as fast as a Mac Pro. Surely not?

For certain tasks, the MacBook Pro is definitely faster. Remember, the Mac Pro hasn't been upgraded since 2013. For example, the SSD in the MacBook Pro is way more advanced. Also, the single-core CPU performance of your MacBook Pro is about 20% better than the best Mac Pro 2013.

 

[MarkJames68]

Hi was just considering selling my MacBook Pro 15" Retina display.
2.9Ghz intel core i7,
It's fairly fast, but for 3d work was considering a trash can 2014 version second hand.

Would the quad core, be faster by much?

Or would 6, 8 core be necessary...

Thanks

What’s your bottleneck? If CPU then a 6- or 8-core Mac Pro will be faster. Otherwise a 2016 or 2017 MBP could use an eGPU.

 

[ilikewhey]

if its gpu based, why don't you just go thunderbolt 3 with a vega or polaris chip on your mbp.

 

[orph]

a eGPU may be the best option, the 2013 mp uses D300,D500,D700 GPU's aka firepro w7000,w8000,w9000 aka Radeon HD 7xxx gen cards
which is old so if you are GPU limited im not shore if buying a box with a gpu from 2012? is the best way to spend money. a quick google shows the Radeon HD 7870 is only a tad (tiny tiny) bit faster than a rx460

as there are two GPU's if maya will use them both then you will get faster renders but you relay need to check it will be able to actually use two GPU's with the tasks you do

im not shore how maya compares with nvidia and ATI cards but a current gen card is relay a good option to think about and the new cards will be out soon
ie current gen card's will be on sale or new cards will be on the market & may be worth the $$$ for the speed you want

relay i think it's worth going on to the maya forums and benchmarks to find out what relay maters and where it's worth spending money to get a real speed boost.
as i mentioned my friend who spent his budget on a 8700K is going to see no gain from that if he'd got a cheep CPU and a real FAST GPU with the same budget he'd be looking at render time's that are much shorter and not have any GPU ram limits

ps dont forget to check GPU RAM requirements as the
D300 2gb vram
D500 3gb vram
D700 6gb vram
which is low by today's levels.
in divinci resolve iv hit crashes from only having 4GB vram !
https://www.anandtech.com/show/7603/mac-pro-review-late-2013/9
(and no two 2GB cards do not = 4GBvram total)

so do some real research before you rush in unless you can afforded to just re buy stuff after.