Mac vs PC for rendering

SketchUp
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I currently have a i-MAC which I do all my 2d and 3d design work on, i’ve recently starting rendering with VRAY and it’s taking a good few hours to get renders to the resolution that I’m happy with. I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to buy a new machine that is more specific to sketchup and rendering. My gut feeling is that I’m better going back to PC as can get a more specific/powerful graphics card but I maybe talking nonsense. Any views on this would be much appreciated. Adam

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Please share your current hardware specs and what resolution/result you’re ‘happy with’. Also what is your purpose/complexity of models will be?

I don’t know about MAC vs PC issues but i would like to remind you that Vray benefits from multiple cores/threads (on the other hand SketchUp uses only single thread and benefits from higher clock speeds. So high clock speed doesn’t matter that much for Vray as it does in SketchUp)

Also take a look at official Vray benchmark, test with your specs, search for your desired specs and compare. (You can check these benchmarks for CPU and GPU as well.)

Note that Vray supports GPU rendering which is a lot faster comparing to CPU rendering for most cases.

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also You can test how fast is your computer.
https://twitter.com/ChaosGroup/status/899315134220423169

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Hi Filibis.

It’s a 3.4ghz intel core i7, 16gb memory 1333 mhm ddr3, graphics card is AMD RADEON HD 6970 M 2048 MB.

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in terms of purpose, it’s for Interior design so standard is pretty high. i’ll download a render shortly

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Here’s one of my renders, this is the kind of standard.

audio
audio2999×1687 3.73 MB

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Hi,

For full disclosure, I’ve been using a Macbook Pro for the last four years or so… and prior to that I’ve always had PC desktops which I’ve built/configured myself… and without exception I’ve liked every computer I’ve used (which is to say I truly enjoy both Mac and PC computers, for different reason of course).

When it comes to rendering I think the PC Desktop has the advantage. You’ll always have the ability to configure a system which is the equivalent to, or superior of, any configuration you can find in the Apple Store. . . and it typically happens at a better price. And of course this is the classic claim which is usually brought up in every Mac vs. PC discussion that’s ever taken place.

What rarely gets discussed however is the issue and difference between each brands cooling system. And in this respect I think Apple has really compromised their position of being able to supply a machine which is capable of handling a heavy workload for sustained periods of time without running the risk of overheating.

All the effort they’ve spent on designing thin and sleek systems have come at the expense of having to limit the robustness of the hardware which they can use. . . given the restrictive airflow that’s build into their tight computer cases.

If there’s an additional goal to be had here, in terms of hanging on to this new computer for the longest time possible… then I think serious consideration also needs to be paid to what system runs cooler.

I’d also say call up intel (as I’ve done) and and have a quick conversation as to what constitutes the temperature thresholds of their various CPUs. Per my conversation with them. . . when they claim a rating of 200ºF… that’s not meant as a sustained long term operating time/temperature… It’s more of an upper limit that’s tested for a time period of 15 minutes.

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Full name will be more useful (such as: i7-4770). Because there are a lot of various intel i7 processors at 3.4GHz (As you can see render times also vary a lot). Consider updating your profile page with such informations to speed things up in similar topics.

Did you check your specs result or download Vray benchmark and test?

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Hi - The test is no available for IOS

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Hmm, apparently you’re right, it’s mentioned in V-Ray Benchmark Help:

  • Currently runs on Windows (Windows 7, 8, 10) with Linux and OSX support coming very soon

But it shouldn’t matter that much, you can still search for CPU & GPU for benchmark results.

Also it’s really hard to build on a conversation when you response just one thing when the community advices much more.

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