M3 Max Benchmarks with Stable Diffusion, LLMs, and 3D Rendering

Matthew Grdinic
19 Nov 202308:24

TLDRThis video provides an in-depth review and benchmark analysis of the 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro, focusing on its performance for creators and consumers of video, 3D, and AI. The M3 Max chip, with its 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU, along with 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, is tested against the older M1 MacBook Pro. Surprisingly, the M3 outperforms the M1 in AI tasks, particularly in chat applications, where it provides more detailed responses, and in image generation using Stable Diffusion, where it significantly reduces image generation time, making iterative workflows more viable. The M3 also excels in 3D rendering with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, offering a substantial improvement over the M1 and nearing the performance of high-end dedicated GPUs like the RTX 3080. The video concludes that the M3 Max MacBook Pro is a significant upgrade for professional users, particularly in hardware-accelerated ray tracing, making it a powerful tool for complex computing tasks.

Takeaways

  • 💻 The 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro is targeted at creators and consumers of video, 3D, and AI, and may be overkill for users without high computing power requirements.
  • 💰 The M3 Max model with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 64GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD is expensive but offers significant performance for complex computing tasks.
  • 📈 The M3 Max chip outperforms the M1 MacBook Pro in AI tasks, with more detailed responses and faster token generation for shorter responses.
  • 🚀 For AI applications like chat and image generation, the M3 Max with 64GB RAM provides more overhead and potential than the M1 with 16GB, making it future-proof.
  • 🔊 Both M3 and M1 produced a high-pitch whine when running large language models (LLMs), which is a new observation.
  • 🖼️ The M3 Max chip performs well in image generation tasks, with times close to a dedicated GPU PC, enabling a quick iterative workflow.
  • 📉 Using the neural engine with the M3 for image generation can result in up to 40% slower performance compared to using just the CPU and GPU.
  • 🎨 The M3 chip supports hardware ray tracing, which significantly improves 3D rendering performance compared to software-based methods.
  • ⚙️ The M3 Max's hardware ray tracing makes it almost as fast as a high-end PC with an RTX 380 GPU for certain 3D scenes.
  • ⏱️ Enabling the CPU for ray tracing tasks can result in worse performance and higher power consumption compared to using the GPU alone.
  • 🌟 The M3 Max MacBook Pro is a significant upgrade for the user, with faster performance across all tasks, especially in hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q & A

  • What is the main target audience for the 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro?

    -The main target audience for the 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro is creators and consumers of video, 3D, and AI.

  • What are the specifications of the M3 Max MacBook Pro discussed in the video?

    -The M3 Max MacBook Pro discussed in the video has a top-of-the-line M3 Max chip with a 16-core CPU and a 40-core GPU, 64 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD.

  • How does the M3 Max MacBook Pro perform in AI tasks compared to the older M1 MacBook Pro?

    -The M3 Max MacBook Pro performs significantly better in AI tasks, providing more detailed responses with faster token generation for shorter responses compared to the M1 MacBook Pro.

  • What is the developer's plan for the future regarding the private LLM app?

    -The developer plans to release larger models that will require 32 GB of RAM or more, which means the M3 Max's 64 GB of RAM will provide plenty of overhead.

  • How does the M3 Max MacBook Pro handle image generation with Stable Diffusion compared to the M1?

    -The M3 Max MacBook Pro is much more usable for image generation with Stable Diffusion, reducing the time to generate images significantly compared to the M1, enabling a quick iterative workflow.

  • What is the performance difference between the M3 Max MacBook Pro and a PC with an RTX 3080 GPU in image generation tasks?

    -While the PC with an RTX 3080 GPU is still faster, the M3 Max MacBook Pro is now more than fast enough for image generation tasks, with a 512x512 image taking about 4.5 seconds to generate.

  • How does the M3 Max MacBook Pro support 3D rendering with hardware-accelerated ray tracing?

    -The M3 Max MacBook Pro supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which significantly improves rendering times and provides a noticeable difference in performance compared to software-based rendering.

  • What is the performance impact of enabling the CPU specifically for 3D rendering with hardware-accelerated ray tracing on the M3 Max MacBook Pro?

    -Enabling the CPU specifically for 3D rendering with hardware-accelerated ray tracing on the M3 Max MacBook Pro results in worse performance and higher power consumption compared to using the GPU only.

  • What is the conclusion of the video regarding the M3 Max MacBook Pro's performance in creative tasks?

    -The M3 Max MacBook Pro is a fantastic upgrade for creative tasks, with every task performed being faster, especially in hardware-accelerated ray tracing, making it a significant improvement over the M1 MacBook Pro.

  • What is the author's recommendation regarding the amount of RAM for the M3 Max MacBook Pro?

    -The author highly recommends getting at least 64 GB of RAM if you are already spending several thousand on the M3 Max MacBook Pro, as having less could potentially deprive the powerful processors of their full potential.

  • What is the observed high-pitched noise issue during the operation of LLMs on both the M3 and M1 MacBook Pros?

    -Both the M3 and M1 MacBook Pros produced a high-pitched whine while running LLMs, which is a new behavior observed by the author but did not cause any harm to the machines.

Outlines

00:00

💻 MacBook Pro M3 Max Performance and AI Benchmarks

This paragraph discusses the performance and benchmark results of the 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro, focusing on its target audience of creators and consumers of video, 3D, and AI. The narrator compares the M3 Max with the M1 MacBook Pro and emphasizes the significant improvement in efficiency and capability for complex tasks. The M3 Max's 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 64 GB of RAM are highlighted, along with its 1 TB SSD. The video also benchmarks AI tasks using private llm for chat and Draw things for image generation, showing the M3's superior performance, especially in detailed responses and token generation speed. The narrator also touches on the high-pitch noise produced during AI tasks and the importance of having adequate RAM to fully utilize the processor's potential.

05:00

🎨 3D and Image Generation Performance on M3 Max

The second paragraph delves into the 3D and image generation capabilities of the M3 Max MacBook Pro. The narrator expresses satisfaction with the M3's performance in rendering and image generation tasks, noting that it is a significant upgrade from the M1 model. The M3's hardware-accelerated ray tracing is described as a game-changer, offering a substantial improvement in rendering times for complex scenes. The narrator also discusses the results of using the stable diffusion XL model and the Optics rendering engine, comparing the M3's performance with that of a PC equipped with an RTX 380. The paragraph concludes with the narrator's positive assessment of the M3 Max as a personal upgrade, particularly for tasks involving hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡M3 Max MacBook Pro

The M3 Max MacBook Pro is a high-end laptop from Apple that is targeted towards creators and consumers of video, 3D, and AI. It is equipped with a powerful M3 Max chip, featuring a 16-core CPU and a 40-core GPU, along with 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The laptop is designed to handle complex computing tasks efficiently and enable new avenues of work that were not possible before. In the video, it is compared with the M1 MacBook Pro to demonstrate its superior performance in various benchmarks.

💡Private LLM

Private LLM is a paid application available on the Mac App Store that is used for testing chat capabilities with large language models (LLMs). The app features two models: Mestro 7B Open Orca and the more capable Wizard LM 13B. In the video, the M3 Max MacBook Pro's performance with the Wizard LM 13B model is evaluated, showing that it can generate more detailed responses compared to the M1 MacBook Pro, although the initial response times are longer.

💡Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is a technology used for image generation. It is tested in the video using an app called Draw Things. The M3 Max MacBook Pro's performance with Stable Diffusion is compared to that of the M1 MacBook Pro and a PC with a dedicated GPU. The results show that the M3 Max chip significantly improves the speed of image generation, making it a more usable tool for iterative tasks.

💡Hardware Ray Tracing

Hardware Ray Tracing is a feature that allows for more realistic rendering of 3D scenes by simulating the physical behavior of light. The M3 chip in the MacBook Pro supports this feature, which is a significant improvement over previous models. The video demonstrates that with Hardware Ray Tracing, the M3 Max MacBook Pro can render complex scenes much faster than the M1 MacBook Pro, bringing it closer to the performance of high-end PC graphics cards.

💡Neural Engine

The Neural Engine is a part of Apple's chip that is designed to accelerate machine learning tasks. In the context of the video, it is mentioned that on the M3 Max MacBook Pro, using the Neural Engine in conjunction with the CPU and GPU for certain tasks can result in slower performance compared to using just the CPU and GPU. This suggests that for the tasks tested, the Neural Engine may not be as efficient as the other components of the chip.

💡Unified Memory

Unified Memory is a technology that allows the CPU and GPU to share memory resources, which can lead to more efficient performance. The M3 Max MacBook Pro features 64GB of unified memory, which provides ample capacity for demanding applications and helps to fully utilize the capabilities of the powerful processors.

💡SSD (Solid State Drive)

An SSD is a type of data storage that uses flash memory to store data persistently. The M3 Max MacBook Pro comes with a 1TB SSD, which offers fast data access speeds and is more than adequate for the storage needs of most users. In the video, the SSD is part of the laptop's overall high-performance configuration.

💡AI Workflows

AI Workflows refer to the processes and tasks that involve the use of artificial intelligence to streamline and enhance productivity. In the video, the M3 Max MacBook Pro is shown to significantly improve AI workflows, particularly in image generation and language processing tasks, making it a valuable tool for creators and professionals working with AI.

💡Optical Denoisers

Optical Denoisers are algorithms used in image and video processing to reduce noise and improve the quality of the final output. In the context of the video, the BMW Benchmark scene is discussed, where the use of optical denoisers allows for a reduction in the number of samples needed for rendering while maintaining quality, leading to faster rendering times.

💡RTX 380

The RTX 380 is a high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) from NVIDIA, used in PCs for gaming and professional applications that require intense graphics processing. In the video, the RTX 380 is compared to the M3 Max MacBook Pro's integrated GPU to demonstrate the laptop's impressive performance in image generation tasks.

💡Draw Things

Draw Things is an application used for image generation in the video. It allows users to set which compute units are used for processing, such as CPU, GPU, or Neural Engine. The application is used to test the M3 Max MacBook Pro's capabilities in generating images with Stable Diffusion technology.

💡BMW Benchmark

The BMW Benchmark is a test scene used to evaluate the rendering capabilities of graphics hardware. In the video, it is used to compare the rendering performance of the M3 Max MacBook Pro with that of the M1 MacBook Pro and a PC with an RTX 380 GPU. The results highlight the significant improvement in rendering speed provided by the M3 chip's Hardware Ray Tracing feature.

Highlights

The 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro is targeted at creators and consumers of video, 3D, and AI.

For users requiring high computing power for specific applications, the M3 Max is considered overkill.

The M3 Max MacBook Pro with a 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU, along with 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, is priced at $4199.

The M3 Max chip is expected to enable more efficient work and open up new avenues of work previously not possible.

In AI benchmarks, the M3 Max outperformed the M1 MacBook Pro, especially in detailed responses and token generation speed.

Private LLM for chat and Draw Things for image generation were used to test the M3 Max's AI capabilities.

The M3 Max's neural engine was found to be less efficient for AI tasks compared to using just the CPU and GPU.

The M3 Max showed significant improvements in image generation tasks, reducing generation times substantially.

For 512x512 images, the M3 Max took about 4.5 seconds, compared to the M1's 30 seconds to a minute.

The M3 Max's hardware-accelerated ray tracing provides a significant performance boost in 3D rendering.

In the classic BMW scene, the M3 Max finished rendering in 8.5 seconds, compared to the M1's 1 minute and 15 seconds.

The M3 Max's rendering engine was almost as fast as a dedicated RTX 380 GPU in the tug boat scene.

The M3 Max achieved faster render times and lower power consumption when using the GPU alone, compared to enabling the CPU.

The M3 Max MacBook Pro is a significant upgrade for tasks involving AI, image generation, and 3D rendering.

The M3 Max MacBook Pro enables AI workflows to a much greater degree than the M1, making it a practical tool for professionals.

The M3 Max's hardware-accelerated ray tracing is a game-changer, offering night and day improvements over previous models.

It is recommended to equip the M3 Max MacBook Pro with at least 64GB of RAM to fully utilize the processor's potential.