@jeff_hammond posted a new topic, subject "(GPU) -- Radeon 560X vs Vega 20". It read:

   so it's time for a new laptop…
    
    the way Apple has the configurations is a little weird… i want, or would be satisfied with, the 6core i7 but would be limited to 560X GPU…
    
    the Vega GPU is only available with the 8core configuration (so the price difference is more drastic than just the GPU alone… the CPU has to be upgraded as well.)
    
    * * *
    
    anyway, for Rhino for Mac usage now and into the future, does anybody know if the Vega will provide noticeable performance enhancement over the 560X?
    
    also, GPU Tesselation isn't working well for me on my current laptop (mid2014 w/ Nvidia something)… will these newer GPU allow me to make use of this feature?
    
    thanks for any insight.

@danieljgrilli (Danieljgrilli) replied

    I would go the Vega for sure if you''ll be doing 3D work like Rhino regularly.  
    I have the 560X (2018 6-core) and it's great, but I would have bought the Vega if it were available. More graphics horsepower can't be a bad thing! In my opinion, anyway.

So @encephalon replied

    i am totally hesitant regarding a new purchase, still using the mid 2009 macbook pro and could not really use the Wip 6 version due to not being able to install.
    
    anyway from my understanding is that the newer laptops are really heavily throttling performance, meaning the bigger your cpu the more throttle you get, which makes choosing the better cpu almost obsolete. the only real upgrade would most certainly be the best graphics card you can get, here a topic touching vega slightly, i believe it should perform.
    
    i actually want to avoid buying a new laptop and probably switch to a mac mini, but if a laptop is what you need for your environment than you have not much choice i would say. the new mac pro being announced now looks promising but its going to cost me almost a years' remuneration which is really stupid, so a mac mini with weak graphics card would have to do till i figure out something else… if not leaving apple for good in the end anyway.

Then @jeff_hammond said

    encephalon:
    
    > which makes choosing the better cpu almost obsolete. the only real upgrade would most certainly be the best graphics card you can get,
    
    heh, that's the conundrum…
    
    if you want the best GPU, you have to get the more expensive CPU
    
    unless i'm missing a way to configure a 6-core MBP with Vega GPU ?

So @encephalon replied

    jeff_hammond:
    
    > unless i'm missing a way to configure a 6-core MBP with Vega GPU ?
    
    nope, unless i am missing it too.  
    you want better graphics you gotta waist the hotter cpu… (apple - think different) but i must say that set up may totally make sense with the faster cpu, somewhere up in …eh svalbard or antarctica of course.

Then @jeff_hammond said

    lol
    
    ——  
    i'm going to try to order over the phone or in person… maybe they'll allow a build that's not configurable online…
    
    it's doubtful but i'll try anyway… i'll report back with what they say

Then @encephalon said

    hmm that might render me interested to buy a laptop… yes pls report back.

After which, @danieljgrilli (Danieljgrilli) added

    I highly doubt you'll run into heat issues using Rhino, the only time the fans on mine run above a whisper is when doing a large Make2D or when running the Raytraced window to do rendering, which is expected.
    
    For longer sessions, e.g. gaming, yes I have had some mild throttling when the ambient temperature is also high. I can't see how having more power will be worse thermally, especially as the cooling is supposedly upgraded on the late 2018 models onwards.  
    Anyway, the 2018 runs way cooler than the 2011 I used to have!

So @encephalon replied

    @danieljgrilli i have no idea how rhino 6 behaves on current computers, actively swiveling around in rhino 5 while working with a normal portion of geometry brings my computer to a boil pretty soon. yes during summer far more often. but also modeling in rhino might not be the only aim of the game, at some point rendering either in rhino or anywhere else may be important. throttling then is a bummer and when you read in the web there are tons of complaints about this. intel generally has huge issues with temperatures which is also the reason quite a few are hoping that apple decides to go fully ARM with their cpu`s which is already expected. there is a thread covering this at its basis here i was actually hoping that it will happen sooner since i cant wait far longer with my oldie.

After which, @jeff_hammond added

    they wouldn't do the 6-core w/Vega…
    
    ended up ordering the @danieljgrilli configuration 
    
    —-  
    apparently Apple has done some wizardry with the power mgmt on this model in order to run a little cooler with the 8cores

Then @danieljgrilli (Danieljgrilli) said

    I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Then @encephalon said

    woot woot, hot stuff, enjoy that monster 
    
    jeff_hammond:
    
    > Apple has done some wizardry with the power mgmt
    
    exactly that just sounds too much like throttling to me  got any elaborative sources? just yesterday i looked at the configurations of the macbook pros once more and maybe its just going to be it for me either, but when i think about maxing that thing out like yours its “only” a 1.5 k more and i could get a mac pro this coming fall. will have to dig a few (cheese grater) holes into my brain…

Then @jeff_hammond said

    from Linus Tech Tips:
    
    a few other reviewers have concluded similarly
    
    for my workflow in particular, it should work out pretty well… i do a lot of rendering but i only process locally for the previews… the finals are via cloud… i believe the 8 cores will give me a readable preview prior to throttling becoming much of a concern
    
    (and fwiw, my 2014 isn't immune to throttling either ;)… so compared to my current laptop, i should be getting some very noticeable gains during this part of my work)
    
    i'll report back once i real-world use it for a while.

So @encephalon replied

    linus tech tips, always worth a watch, that big dude is also cool, rather calm compared the waffle machine linus, good input too, thanks.

After which, @encephalon added

    @jeff_hammond you know that the macbook pros have been recalled, just checking in to make you aware, some potential battery blow up and burn risk. better check it out.
    
    edit: sorry those were sold before 2017 so yours rather not

Then @jeff_hammond said

    thanks… yeah… 2015 models
    
    a guy i work with has one 
    
    ——  
    side note, i think mine had to be assembled new in China… i still haven't received it yet though it's supposed to be here Friday… about 12 days total… i thought i might get one sooner that was already here in the U.S but no such luck.

@mschwary (mschwary) replied

    Hi Jeff, are you happy with the performance of your machine? Did you test it with rhino 6 for Mac WIP already? How would you describe the heating “problem” and the graphic card performance on a 3D work day? THX

To which @jeff_hammond replied

    Yes, I'm happy with the performance…
    
    idk, i've owned 7 macs now and this laptop is the best one in terms of performance (macPro, iMacs, MBPs)
    
    i've only used Rhino6 for Mac on it (aside from a few initial tests vs V5)… here's what i have to say about it:
    
    Rhino 6 on this MBP is better than Rhino 5 on my previous laptop (mid2014)… some of it is because Rhino got better and some due to the new hardware.
    
    * * *
    
    the main reason i upgraded (aside from just a general 5yr update)… was because there are many times when i'm switching between modeling and CAM and spreadsheets or rendering then email and shopping etcetc… or, i might have 15 windows going and a lot of times, i'd hit a limit where general performance takes a hit… so i'd have to constantly manage what's actually open which usually means best Rhino performance came when only one model was open (in particular, undo/redo became real sluggish with multiple models.)…
    
    but i prefer to have whatever i want open then cleanup/manage prior to lunch or end of day.
    
    with the new computer, i do exactly that… is it worth $4000 to be able to do that? i don't know but it's definitely less annoying
    
    –
    
    as for the thermal, preview renderings (in Fusion360) is what i personally do that will max the cpu… i barely ever render to final locally so i just need to see a lower resolution versions with decent clarity…
    
    all i really know (i don't do benchmark tests) is that the new laptop gets me there noticeably quicker (very noticeable)… maybe 1 minute instead of 2minutes per view.
    
    it's no hotter than my old one was and there's no noticeable/drastic performance drop once the throttling limit has been reached… like— i'm sure there's a slowdown that happens at some point but it's not “oh, the throttling just kicked in”
    
    but the point is, heat wise, it's what i'm used to with a MBP (though maybe some quieter fans now)… it's just a lot faster when maxing cores.
    
    * * *
    
    as far as the GPU goes, graphics performance is what i expect… i'm hesitant to say it's ‘great' because a point is reached where you can't just get an even better GPU and get even better performance… once your GPU is ahead of the software(?), then all the GPUs above that level will perform identically regardless of which one is ‘better'… so yeah, i think the Vega20 is in that realm so i can really just forget about it.
    
    anecdotally, there's a V6 for Mac performance thread here where a few people did display tests using the same model and display modes… this MBP was getting considerably better results than what the other Macs (and a windows desktop) were getting.
    
    …
    
    idk, i don't think i'm the best person to give computer reviews… i just use them a lot and i get annoyed when things get laggy… especially when multitasking… and this thing just doesn't lag…


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