M3 Max Benchmarks with Stable Diffusion, LLMs, and 3D Rendering
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
💻 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.
🎨 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
💡Private LLM
💡Stable Diffusion
💡Hardware Ray Tracing
💡Neural Engine
💡Unified Memory
💡SSD (Solid State Drive)
💡AI Workflows
💡Optical Denoisers
💡RTX 380
💡Draw Things
💡BMW Benchmark
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.