Studio Ultra for Resolve -maxed out or standard?

[GuillemV]

Hi, I just received my Studio Ultra with 64c GPU, 2TB SSD and 128GB RAM.
But I also ordered a standard one: 48c GPU, 1TB SSD, 64GB RAM that should arrive soon.
Now I have ten days to choose which one I keep. I use it for postproduction with Davinci Resolve.

The maxed out clearly rivals the machine it replaces, a 12-core 2019 Mac Pro with dual 6900 XT.
But I'll most probably buy a new Mac Pro when it comes out. Should I save this nearly 2.700€ in Upgrades so i buy a Mac Pro in the near future? They should be announced in June, available later in the year... And that's probably what I need as a professional colorist.

I've found plenty of synthetic benchmarks but very little real-world examples. The fluidity of the Studio Ultra is really great, and in the end despite having much lower geekbench results it delivers a better grading experience.

The fact it undervolts the processors so the GPU doesn't scale up linearly at all makes me wonder if I won't be pretty much the same with the standard configuration, what do you think?
THANKS

BTW I am really pissed I needed to connect an apple mouse/trackpad to be able to install the OS, it's so lame for those using wacom!

 

[Psychicbob]

I feel your pain. I bought a Ferrari F8 Spider and a Ferrari F8 Tributo. I just can’t decide which one I like best and which one to give back ?

Joking aside, you’ve got 14 days to put them through their paces and see how much headroom you have with both of them.

 

[GuillemV]

LOL -I can afford this machine because it's my working tool ;-)
I wasn't clear -I MUST DECIDE IF I RETURN THE MAXED OUT IMAC BEFORE I'LL ACTUALLY RECEIVE THE STANDARD ONE.
Hence my post...

 

[peryhypen]

On my 64 core GPU Ultra running Resolve with NR and Effects, Activity Monitor reports around 98% GPU usage, so those workloads appear to take advantage of the extra GPU cores.

If your current workload isn’t taking advantage of the GPU cores why not settle for the 48 GPU model and allocate the saved funds towards an AS Mac Pro which will surely have significantly more usable/scalable GPU performance more suited to your workload.

Might be worth trying the Resolve Beta release on your Ultra to determine if there are worthwhile additional optimisations for you — I haven’t used it myself.

 

[StudioMacs]

If your current workload isn’t taking advantage of the GPU cores why not settle for the 48 GPU model and allocate the saved funds towards an AS Mac Pro which will surely have significantly more usable/scalable GPU performance more suited to your workload.

I went with a bumped up M1 Max Studio (32 GPU/64 GB) for this reason. I needed a new machine, but there’s a potentially better system later this year.

 

[peryhypen]

Agreed, the Mac Studio is a great machine, but all eyes will be on the AS Mac Pro performance. Well, those eyes that need it of course. ?

 

[F-Train]

It sounds like you're talking about professional work. I'd suggest that you raise this on the Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve or Post Production forum and maybe in the Blackmagic Facebook Group.