I have been hobbling along with a 2020 MacBook Pro M1 with 16 gb of ram and the screen just died. Since it couldn’t handle Enscape anyway this may be my chance to jump ship and join the PC universe but it is sooo confusing. If I could afford to stay with Macs I probably would so if anyone can make the case for shelling out for a Mac powerful enough to run Enscape effectively I am open to that (do I really need 64 gb of ram? anyone using 32 and happy with it?) However, system requirements for escape seem to bring me above the 4k price tag on Macs and similar PCs are considerably cheaper with the ability to upgrade ram. currently looking at ASUS TUF, MSI g force, Lenovo legion 7i. I am not a gamer but the system requirements for most modeling software seem to be the same. Thanks in advance for any advice on leaving the apple ecosystem, and what computer to get for a sketchup Enscape workflow.
Hi @annehars, thanks for the post. Company policy keeps me from offering any official endorsement of a brand or model of computer but I can say that you are on the right track with what you are doing. Just remember that 3D modeling apps are all single core apps so speed is better than core count for those and if you intend to render, be sure to check and make sure that your program(s) will benefit from additional cores before you go for a bigger core count.
If you are building a tower you can get better performance per $ than a laptop and the modular nature will allow later upgrades, but if you need portability, a laptop is the way to go. No matter what route you go though, make sure you have at least the recommended specifications for SketchUp although exceeding them is a good ides where possible. The official requirements can be found here: https://help.sketchup.com/en/sketchup/system-requirements
If you are lucky and live near a store that specializes in computers, don’t be afraid to ask them for help too. Most tech enthusiasts are happy to share what they know with people who have questions.
Enscape, I understand, works on all M-series Macs. Old Intel-based Macs aren’t supported.
As to PC specs, a “gaming” type laptop gives you better bang for the buck than “workstation” models. Look for a decent CPU (I prefer Intel) and a Nvidia graphics card (today the RTX series). 64 GB RAM would be good.
IMHO, a desktop pc could give you more bang for the buck just if you want a high end pc, something above $2000. If you need a mobile device instead of a desktop you should go for a Mac, I’m still using my M1 Max MacBook Pro, and it runs perfectly sketchup, V-Ray and Enscape, the battery is still amazing and the performance is the same plugged or unplugged, windows laptops need to be plugged to give you full performance, if you need to do a heavy task like rendering, the battery will be death in minutes even though the cpu and gpu are throttling due to heat and lack of energy, MacBooks are real mobile devices, I’ve used mine for 2 days without having to charge, windows gaming or workstation laptops require to be taken with the huge block for power supply everywhere if you want to use them for more than 4 hours.
As always, our users are offering great advice. I had not considered battery life when rendering as I am plugged in all the time when I am on my work laptop but francisquitof has a great point there. It is also worth note that bigger batteries get heavy. Carrying a laptop with a big battery up a single flight of stairs at the building I live in is not a big deal but I imagine that it would get quite heavy if hauled around a job site for a few hours. These factors are definitely worth consideration if you go with a laptop.
I hope you find what you are looking for and please do keep us posted on any decisions you make regarding hardware and how it all works out for you. Knowing what worked out well for you and what did not will help future users who find this thread.