Apple's Fastest Mac vs. My $5496 PC
optimum
14 min, 55 sec
A detailed comparison of the Mac Studio with M2 Ultra and a custom-built high-performance PC, analyzing various aspects from setup experience to performance in different tasks.
Summary
- The Mac Studio offers a streamlined setup process and quiet operation, while the custom PC requires more setup steps and produces more noise.
- Mac Studio's M2 Ultra excels in CPU efficiency and integrated software experience, especially with Apple's ecosystem.
- Custom PC with an RTX 4090 and Ryzen 7800 X3D outperforms the Mac Studio in GPU-intensive tasks like gaming and 3D rendering.
- Both systems show comparable performance in video editing, with slight advantages in certain tasks for the Mac Studio.
- Despite impressive capabilities, the Mac Studio's gaming performance and GPU rendering are limited compared to a high-end PC.
Chapter 1
Initial setup comparisons and unboxing experiences between the Mac Studio and a custom PC build.
- The Mac Studio offers a simple setup process, just unboxing and powering on, while the custom PC requires driver installations, BIOS updates, and Windows setup.
- Apple's Mac Studio provides a faster, user-friendly experience right from the start, contrasting with the manual effort involved in setting up a custom PC.
Chapter 2
A deep dive into the performance capabilities of the Mac Studio with M2 Ultra compared to a custom PC.
- The Mac Studio's CPU offers impressive speed and efficiency; however, the custom PC's GPU significantly outperforms the Mac in tasks like 3D rendering.
- Both machines deliver similar performance in video editing, with the Mac Studio edging out in certain areas like software update convenience and single-threaded tasks.
Chapter 3
Comparative performance in video editing and rendering tasks between the Mac Studio and the custom PC.
- Both systems show similar timeline performance in DaVinci Resolve Studio, with the Mac Studio showing exceptional speed in video stabilization.
- Mac Studio slightly outpaces the custom PC in video export times and shows seamless performance in Final Cut Pro.
Chapter 4
Testing the Mac Studio and custom PC in 3D modeling with Blender and gaming performance.
- The custom PC's superior GPU renders Blender projects significantly faster than the Mac Studio, especially with denoising enabled.
- Gaming on the Mac Studio is limited, with poor performance in games like CS:GO due to translation layers, but decent performance in Fortnite.
Chapter 5
The user experience with Apple's Pro Display and the integration of the Mac Studio with other Apple products.
- The 5K Pro Display provides an exceptional editing experience with sharp resolution and color accuracy, despite being capped at 60Hz.
- The integration of the Mac Studio into the Apple ecosystem offers seamless file sharing and note-taking between devices.
Chapter 6
Final assessment of the Mac Studio's capabilities and the author's personal choice for production use.
- While admiring the Mac Studio's quiet operation and efficiency, the author notes its limitations in GPU performance.
- The custom PC remains the author's choice for heavy GPU tasks, but the Mac Studio's advantages in the Apple ecosystem are acknowledged.
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