Macs are the Best for 3D Rendering!
Here’s why you should get one
Blender has been one of the many applications that has not supported Apple’s Metal Framework for GPUs. It is one of the most well-known 3D rendering platforms in the world.
With the launch of the new M1 Max MacBook Pros, there has been a rise in apps that are willing to support the ARM 64 architecture to provide GPU Metal support, and Blender is one of them. Creating a Metal supported Application is only possible due to the funding provided by Apple to Blender
The newest Alpha version of Blender 3.1, supports the Apple GPUs, that can accelerate the render time by 7 times faster than when using the CPU. The GPU acceleration is shown below👇🏻
It uses almost 100% of the GPU and around 75 to 88% of the CPU. You have an option to either use both, or only the CPU or the GPU. Though, I should mention that this particular version is not completely stable as it is part of a one-year process. This release is just one of many beta versions that are yet to be released.
Now, the New MacBook Pros will be allowed to completely enable the 32-core GPU, which makes it as fast as an RTX 3080 Laptop.
MacBook Pro VS Razer Blade 15 Advanced.
We can now partially compare the render time and export speed of these 2 devices. I used the Blender Splash Fox File for this comparison. The result based on 128 samples and no tiling, comparing Blender 3.1 to Blender 3.0 is given below👇🏼.
16-inch MacBook Pro, 32-Core GPU, Blender 3.1a — 1 Minute 30 seconds
16-inch MacBook Pro, 32-Core GPU, Blender 3.0 — 4 Minute 10 seconds
You can see a major difference between the same projects being exported solely by the CPU, compared to the scenario where the GPU and CPU are used. Another major difference seen when exporting in Blender 3.0, is the loud fan noise.
Now, when we compare the MacBook Pro to the Razer Blade 15 Advanced, the difference between the 2 is mind-bending. This test was conducted using the Blender BMW file. Using Cycles Render
16-inch MacBook Pro, 32-Core GPU, Blender 3.1a — 1 Minute 43seconds
Razer Blade 15 Advanced, RTX 3080, Blender 3.0, Charging–1 Minute 02 seconds
Razer Blade 15 Advanced, RTX 3080, Blender 3.0, Battery–1 Minute 39 seconds
So, we can see a major difference in the performance of the Razer Blade 15 Advanced between when it is charging, and when it isn’t. Overall, Mac optimization is getting better day by day, and the potential is limitless.
I hope to see even better modifications done to support Metal on Blender!
