p.1 #1 · M2 Max MacBook Pro vs. M3 Ultra Mac Studio denoising times
This might be of interest to few people on this forum, nevertheless perhaps some may find this useful.
I compared the times it takes DxO Photolab to export (to dng) 20 lossless compressed raw files from the Fujifilm GFX100S II. These are 102MP files; their disk size is around 130MB, on average.
All lens corrections were applied on the raw files, together with either DeepPRIME 3 or DeepPRIME XD3 denoising.
Here are the observations:
MacBook Pro with M2 Max chip with 12-core CPU, 38-core GPU/ 64GB RAM
DeepPRIME 3: 10.4s per raw file (total 3m 27s for 20 files)
DeepPRIME XD3: 42.8s per raw file (total 14m 15s for 20 files)
Mac Studio with M3 Ultra chip with 28-core CPU, 60-core GPU / 96GB RAM
DeepPRIME 3: 5.5s per raw file (1m 49s for 20 files)
DeepPRIME XD3: 19.4s per raw file (6m 27s for 20 files)
Thus, processing with the Mac Studio is about two times faster.
p.1 #4 · M2 Max MacBook Pro vs. M3 Ultra Mac Studio denoising times
Surfnsun wrote:
Did you find any workflow changes from the change in wait times?
Not much. Both machines make absolutely no sound while processing - there is no heat (and no sweat 😅.
The experience of correcting the 102MP raw files in Capture One and/or DxO Photolab 9 feels slightly more "smooth" on the Studio (the response is virtually immedaite); however, I cannot complain that this experience was slow and bothered me on the MacBook.
The real difference is only in the processing times: batch denoising and exporting 300-400 raw files on the MacBook was better done overnight, while the same can probably be feasible during a daytime break.
p.1 #5 · M2 Max MacBook Pro vs. M3 Ultra Mac Studio denoising times
I have a M5 Max and am getting just a bit longer times than your M3 Ultra. Fans defiantly kick on though. Lightroom doesn't benefit from the faster processor as much as Photoshop does. Generative fill in Photoshop is super fast with the high end processor and it just shrugs off lots of layers and large files. Did get one "out of memory" crash after the April Photoshop updates but it seems it was a one off and might not even have anything to do with Photoshop. If I have a couple of hundred files I just start them up and walk away. My process when coming home with hundreds of photos is import them into Lightroom, which kicks off the automatic upload of the RAW files to Amazon Photos and then I kick off the denoise/sharpening jobs and walk away. Even when I know I have good stuff I'm usually too wiped out to even look at them but I'm happy to have them off the card and into the cloud.
p.1 #6 · M2 Max MacBook Pro vs. M3 Ultra Mac Studio denoising times
i have been a pc guy for the longest time, but it seems more and more i see a mac is in my future. my primary reason on windows was bang for buck but now it seems apple is the way to go. when the m5 or 6 ultra comes out, it will be game changer the same neo was to cheap pc laptops!
p.1 #7 · M2 Max MacBook Pro vs. M3 Ultra Mac Studio denoising times
msadat wrote:
i have been a pc guy for the longest time, but it seems more and more i see a mac is in my future. my primary reason on windows was bang for buck but now it seems apple is the way to go. when the m5 or 6 ultra comes out, it will be game changer the same neo was to cheap pc laptops!
The same here - I have been a pc guy for about 30 years, and continue using a Windows laptop for all work-related needs.
I added the MacBook three years ago, specifically for photography. I still don't like some aspects of Mac OS, e.g. the Finder, but this is compensated by the computational efficiency of the Mac. I am particularly impressed by the lack of heating and noise.
p.1 #8 · M2 Max MacBook Pro vs. M3 Ultra Mac Studio denoising times
ruthenium wrote:
The same here - I have been a pc guy for about 30 years, and continue using a Windows laptop for all work-related needs.
I added the MacBook three years ago, specifically for photography. I still don't like some aspects of Mac OS, e.g. the Finder, but this is compensated by the computational efficiency of the Mac. I am particularly impressed by the lack of heating and noise.
Same story here.
As an actual "laptop" user (i.e. literally on my lap), I used to have red areas on my legs from the Windows (Thinkpad Extreme) laptop heat. Since getting the Macbook (same setup M2 Max w/ 64GB), the heat issue has never occurred ... and the performance gains over my TE were about double (documented some tests many years back), iirc.
The Mac OS however ... still not something I've well acclimated to, but I tolerate it. As a long time Windows user (still at work, too), the thought of returning to that heat map to get the performance equivalence doesn't call to me. Granted, I'm not up to speed with the latest performance / heat maps of Windows laptop rigs these days, but the Macbook was a marked difference. Use it on a desk, and that's not an issue. But, with it literally on my legs ... yeah, the heat management of the Macbook is excellent (noise, too).
p.1 #9 · M2 Max MacBook Pro vs. M3 Ultra Mac Studio denoising times
New MacBook Pro M5 Max here 128 gigs. GFX file through DXO Pure Raw 6, XD3 = 33 seconds, and that’s with catalog and photo files on fast external SSD, and legit Thunderbolt 5 cable attachment. I’ve also “loaded up” the MacBook with multiple things going on and have never had fans come on, or at least that I could hear. And it doesn’t get warm, let alone hot. That’s amazing to me. My former Dell XPS sounded like a 747 taking off anytime I asked it to do something hard.
I’m also primarily a Windows person. I’ve “tamed” Finder to make it usable. I fine art print, and I can say that I’ll never print from this Mac. The driver for my Epson 7570 is a complete mess, compared to the Windows driver.
I’m very impressed with the MacBook for its speed, it’s about as fast in the AI processing aspects of photo editing as my maxed out Puget Systems box, which does the same GFX raw through DXO in 27 seconds. Where the Mac “shines” is in integration with other Apple products such as my iPhone and iPad. Where Apple is “nuts” is in how the menu for any given application is not in the application window itself. I’ve gotten used to it, but it is an extremely sub-optimal aspect of the OS, compared to Windows. It conveys ZERO benefit, and adds much potential confusion, especially when multi-tasking.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and results. This is of interest to me at the moment, due to my recent journey into Apple. I have many clients who are Mac only folk, and learning to be bi-lingual has helped in that regard as well.
Apple Silicon, at least on the desktop, has been a huge leap in personal computing technology. The chips are powerful and energy efficient. A winning combination for personal and portable computing. I can use my Macbook, on my lap, all day and edit photos in Lightroom and Photoshop. No heat, no noise. Apple Hardware is amazing, I just wish their software would keep pace. MacOS is OK, but the phone, iPad and Watch OS 26 "updates" were a step back. This is a cultural thing Apple will have to solve. All the hardware folks got promoted, the software teams did not. They have much work to do.
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