Thinking About a New Computer

General Discussion Cameras and Equipment
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I am thinking about getting a Macbook Pro. My current PC is showing its age and I would like a laptop. I had to give my work laptop PC back when I retired and I miss the versatility. I had an in with the team that selected new PCs for our company and I was always part of testing the newest ones. I was spoiled I think.

I was wondering if either Topaz or anyone in the forum have tried the new AI programs on the Macbook Pro?
Thanks

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If you read the complaints you will see that most of them are on Macs. Get a Windows based computer, it will likely be less expensive as well.

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If you are going to use the AI products heavily, you should look for a computer with a beefy gfx card. The MacBook Pro is a solid choice overall, unless you are into the new Video AI software. It currently uses only the CPU and is due to this terribly slow.

I have a 2018 MacBook Pro with the Razer Core X Chroma eGPU and a Radeon 5700 XT, and the eGPU is MUCH faster than the internal GPU for the photo AI products.

As far as I know, Topaz are working on AMD gfx support for Video AI, and this setup should be crazy fast once this update is out. At the moment however, only the photo AI apps benefit from the eGPU - but at quite a measure (at quite a price).

The 5700 XT eGPU is about 4x faster than my Macbook GPU (Radeon Pro 560RX).

The CHEAPEST solution would probably a custom-built Windows PC with a Nivida 2080 RTX. A Windows Laptop with eGPU isn’t the safest bet - as fas as I know, eGPU support on Windows isn’t the greatest.

Choices…!

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I have both a MacBook Pro 13 inch 2018 and a Windows PC. Using the AI products rarely on the MacBook because this MacBook is the model with one single fan which makes a noticeable noise at work. My PC on the other hand is much faster and almost quiet.

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John, if you haven’t bought a new computer yet and you want a laptop then take a look at this new Dell 17". Here is an article: Dell launches new XPS 17 and a redesigned XPS 15 with powerful internals, taller displays | TechSpot

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Thanks but I am giving Apple a try. I got a MacBookm Pro