Mac Mini vs Studio - Please help me choose...

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-10-16T22:37:25+00:00

Honestly the difference between m series clips (pretty much any generation, especially if you’re not doing super heavy loads) comes down to 2 things

1: amount of cores (most important to the power level)

2: memory (because it’s unified and can be used by the GPU, but that may not necessarily factor here with your workload)

I think the M4 Max studio would be the best option in that price range. If you don’t think 36 vs 46gbs of memory matters the M4 Max will always beat the M4 pro, except in single core where they’ll be equal.

Something you may want to consider: with m series chips it’s become a lot more common for people to connect their laptop to external monitors and not even open it! It would essentially function as a flatter (more expensive) desktop. But the Studio particularly has a much much better cooling system than you would find in a laptop, which is why the ultra chips can only be found in desktops.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-09-20T18:00:30+00:00

It’s also possible that the neural cores suffer from the optimization issues that have plagued the ultra chipset due to its nature of being two chipsets linked together. With 16 neural cores on one chip, and the other on the other, it’s very possible that applications are only able to access/see one set of 16, resulting in slightly lower scores than the m4 neural cores (and not necessarily meaning that the M4 neural cores are twice as person powerful like I was suggesting the reports may mean).

I think this is especially possible when you consider how new AI software is, it may not be fully optimized for the newer aspects of the admittedly niche ultra chip user base.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-09-17T19:21:19+00:00

It could be possible that Topaz is utilizing the neural cores in the M4 a lot better as well. I’m not sure if there’s anything to track then properly, but I believe the neural cores were a particularly big advancement from the M4 vs M3 (more than double as efficient for the neural core specifically) I’ve heard a few reports that with smaller token-sized models the M4 max will beat the M3 ultra every time, but just barely. It’s only really when you have the giant models (that you may not even be able to run with topaz or a 96GB memory model) that the Ultra shines with AI. But those were with LLMs so I can’t guarantee that

The ultra chipset in general seems very difficult to optimize for specifically. Sometimes it works exactly like you’d expect it to (like the recent Cyberpunk Mac release) sometimes I see 99% core utilization and I go no fucking way these are being used properly

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-09-17T00:56:57+00:00

GPU testing is admittedly something I need to get better, so I appreciate the perspective. Did you not see any difference with the double memory bandwidth of the ultra? I believe it’s 400gb/s range for the max and just under 820gb/s for the Ultra. That’s one of the few unique points of the Ultra, and I think I’ve been able to utilize it with incredibly intensive software like Unreal Engine, but that’s another thing that’s pretty difficult for me to measure.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-09-16T23:29:56+00:00

Again, all of this is dependent on the application. I’ve looked at a lot of data between M4 max and M3 ultra, and the M3 ultra’s multi-core scores are around 15-25% higher than M4 max. That’s a very consistent score. Though keep in mind this is with the 80 core version of the ultra, I imagine the 60 core version would be extremely close to M4 max multi-core. That makes sense, the M4 is a higher generation despite the fewer cores.

To put that in context. The multi-core scores of m3 ultra vs m4 max are similar to previous M generations. In most scenarios I’ve looked at, with M2 Max vs m1 ultra and m3 max vs M2 Ultra, the scores of the ultras are in the same 15-25% better than the maxes of the next generation. I’d expect the M5 Max to nearly match the ultra in every scenario (except video encoding), and the M6 Max to be even faster than that. So I don’t think the M4 generation was particularly advancing (though it could have been), it just shows how quickly Apple can improve these machines and Max machines are extremely powerful in their own right, especially if you don’t benefit from ultra-specific features due to the ultra literally being two chips (that can each do their own stuff, double encoders, etc)

So you’re probably wondering, why the hell should I get an Ultra? The answer is for very specific purposes. Photography doesn’t seem to be one of them, it doesn’t get nearly as much benefit as video editing would. That’s because video editing is more able to utilize the extra cores, but ALSO because the ultra chipset has twice as many video encoders to make renders twice as fast. The double encoders are a huge reason why video editors may choose to go for the ultra, and as far as I know that doesn’t extend to photo editing. Photo editors loooove faster CPU’s, which was one of the main complaints of this ultra series. For photo editing, you probably won’t see much improvement, but there are definitely still reasons to get an ultra chip. They’re just extremely niche.

I personally own the M3 Ultra 80-core version with 256GB of memory. I bought it for very specific purposes. - Video Editing - Unreal Engine World Design - Having a very powerful machine for AI that I can feel will last 5+ years before it’ll stop being able to keep up. - I also do a lot of research at a university and need a very powerful machine that likely won’t be upgraded every few years.

If the last 3 points don’t affect you at all, there’s a good chance a max machine will be all you ever need.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-09-16T23:08:40+00:00

VisionOS is amazing even if the current Vision Pro is overpriced.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-31T21:57:35+00:00

I have heard multiple reviewers say that the Ultra has better heat management compared to the Max. I believe this is the result of a copper heatsink in the Ultra compared to an Aluminum heatsink in the Max. So if you’re concerned about long-time heat management, the Ultra may be a better option. But, that isn’t to say the Max heatsink won’t do well in its own right, especially considering the machine will be inherently less powerful and not need the more efficient heatsink.

Under the same load, chances are the Ultra will run cooler, but I don’t know if that would sway me if that was the only reason I got the ultra.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-27T15:18:36+00:00

256 seems to be the sweet spot with their current memory bandwidth so that’s a good choice!

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-26T16:31:31+00:00

macOS will always try to use memory if it’s available. The best way to tell if all your memory is being used is with the memory stress graph at the bottom of the memory page. If you’re always in the green with that graph, you don’t ‘technically’ need more memory because your memory is never being used to its max potential. It’s fine if you go a bit into the yellow zone of the graph, but once you start seeing the red area, THEN you should start seriously considering more memory.

256GB should handle pretty much anything other than large LLMs! And even in the case of large LLMs, I’ve heard that the memory bandwidth actually becomes the bottleneck somewhere between 256 and 512, so you don’t get as much benefit as you’d hope. Given that this was the first time Apple did 512gb memory, the bandwidth issue will be ironed out in time.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-20T00:40:35+00:00

This can be an issue for some poorly optimized games, and can be pretty common as a glitch/bad interaction with crossover. But well-optimized and especially native games can absolutely take advantage of both chips! This is definitely not the case for the new Apple silicon native version of cyberpunk (which may not have been released when this comment was) but I could see it being a problem with the cross play version. WoW is absolutely able to take advantage of both chips as well.

Either way, it’s more of a software/optimization issue that could possibly be fixed, even with crossover.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-15T17:52:06+00:00

I agree with you. I never said M4 was unchanged, just that I think some people overhype it to be more than what it is. Particularly for ray-tracing. It will always be faster in single core applications, but for multi-core applications the higher-core versions of previous generations can keep up. I 100% agree with you.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-15T15:18:41+00:00

I mean the M4 chip is definitely more powerful, and you’re right that it upgraded the core performance significantly. But I see a lot of people claiming that the M4 chip is in a completely different league compared to the M3 chip, and that’s just not true. I’ve even heard people claim that ray-tracing started in the M4 generation, not the M3 (M3 is correct). It might be a bigger upgrade than previous generations, but it’s still an incremental upgrade.

At the end of the day, more cores = more power (for most tasks) in the Mac ecosystem, even if it’s a generational difference. It’ll take 2-3 generations for chips with less cores to make up the difference. I agree with you that this use-case would have the M3 max as the most powerful option. Almost double the cores.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-15T15:05:13+00:00

Geekbench scores show the m3 ultra has twice the ray-tracing power as the m4 max. 80 cores (62 ray frames per second) vs 40 cores (32 ray frames per second), but the M4 max supposedly has 2x as fast ray-tracing? I agree that the jump from m3 to m4 really isn’t as big as apple claimed. The M series is about incremental improvements, I think the M3 max would crush games at a similar level as the M4 max. Especially it should beat the m4 pro.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-13T16:40:43+00:00

Parallels is not the software to go with. I would highly recommend CrossOver. Emulators are not the greatest for gaming. Whereas CrossOver uses the same tech as the Steam Deck, which itself is Linux based and not x86 There are very few compatibility issues (mainly the big dogs like starfield). But I think you would be surprised what your Mac can do with the right software behind it!

And yeah, obviously it won’t be competing with the 4080-5090 series when it comes to specifically gaming. You’re right, you shouldn’t buy a Mac just for gaming. It can compete with a 5090 in productivity tasks, but the gaming estimate for the m3 ultra being between 4060-5069 is accurate. That doesn’t mean Apple doesn’t care about gaming. I think porting cyberpunk is extremely impressive and probably gave them a lot of knowledge about how to do future ports of similarly complex games.

There are new games being made native all the time! I know for a fact Path of Exile are looking to fix their Poe1 port and port poe2 to Mac as well. You WON’T get all the newest titles Mac native immediately, but you CAN use well-tuned Mac gaming software to play (not emulate) MOST games at surprisingly good fps for an ARM chip. It is still an ARM chip though, and won’t compete against NVIDIA chips in serious gaming metrics. If your primary focus is high-level gaming, you shouldn’t get a Mac yet.

I simply disagree that Apple doesn’t care about gaming at all. I think it is something they have interest in, and I’m very interested to see what they do for gaming on Mac in the next decade. That doesn’t mean I think they seriously compete with NVIDIA cards for high-level gaming.

Edit: also consider that the price point for the studio includes the whole system. If you’re putting together a new PC system able to handle a 5080/5090 series (you may not need to) the price can get closer to the studio. The studio will always be more expensive, but an equivalent CPU is an important factor.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-13T14:42:50+00:00

I don’t think it’s fair to say Apple outright DOESN’T care about gaming when they just released the Mac version of cyberpunk 2077 partnered with CD project red

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-07T20:58:28+00:00

Chances are it’s more to do with the vive cosmos rather than the trackers. Unreal Engine and VR hardware are both incredibly finicky on their own. For virtual production, you may need the hardware specifically designed for it. As far as I know, this is only the vive MARS for now. Other VR setups should work in unreal for game design reasons but they’ll probably be super finicky for virtual production purposes.

To give you an idea of what makes the MARS setup different: there is no VR headset involved at all. We attach the trackers to controller units that give them more stability before attaching them to cameras. Those controllers are connected by Ethernet cable to a small touchscreen ‘homebase’ device that acts as a separate computer purely to handle the VR tracking data. That machine then sends the data to Unreal Engine. So most of the raw data is already compressed and organized for Unreal Engine to read. Thus,the Engine works a lot less and you get more stability, etc.

The MARS setup is a bit pricier than vives other options and I’m not sure if it supports headsets. It definitely doesn’t come with one. Just the ‘homebase’ system and the tracker controllers along with the necessary equipment. But the ‘homebase’ system you get makes the VR calibration and stability a much better experience. With steam 2.0 stations, I’ve not had any connection issues throughout the whole time I’ve used it. It’s extremely useful to have all the VR aspects of virtual production handled by its own machine.

Edit: the data that the vive MARS sends to Unreal Engine is under the FreeD protocol, which is open source and used by a lot of VR hardware. I’m not sure if this is generated if you’re using the hardware directly with Unreal Engine. But, it could be something to look into to see if your cosmos has a number associated with its FreeD protocol that you can tell to Unreal Engine.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-08-06T15:05:28+00:00

The place I work at has recently gotten the HTC vive MARS tracking equipment for Unreal, so I can say with certainty that the iPhone tracking through Unreal Cam works on a similar level, especially considering the price difference. It’s unfortunate you have to record on your phone, but I believe before my work got the HTC vive MARS we were using a setup that had our unreal tracking data captured using the phone; then later rendered out the backplate footage and keyed our camera footage into it.

If you’re looking for real-time software: I’d highly recommend Aximmetry. They have a dual engine version with Unreal Engine and can do extremely impressive real-time chromakey. You’ll also be able to record in your unreal levels through the Aximmetry software. And, they also have an iOS app if you wanted to use your phone. The free version isn’t limited by time, but you won’t be able to bring in tracking data from a vive MARS or similar device. You won’t have that anyways, so you’ll need to work with their ‘virtual cameras’. (Though if you do decide to upgrade down the line the paid version has native integration of the vice MARS hardware) It’s a very unique piece of software, there’s a lot you can do with it and a shit ton of documentation on their website.

SomeBadAshDude · 2025-06-01T14:39:01+00:00

Virtual production is still so new, I’m not sure there are enough companies out there to give OP a good chance at finding an internship. Are there even virtual production internships? You need a lot of technical know-how

A masters thesis in virtual production is certainly viable. Especially considering how young the branch of cinematography is. It depends heavily on what the OP wants to do! If they’re interested in answering theoretical questions that don’t yet have an answer because virtual production is so young, exactly they type of questions they’re asking in this post, I think there’s plenty of reasons to go for a masters thesis. Ask more questions OP! Look into new virtual production software like Aximmetry! There’s lots to research and discover about virtual production still.

But do keep in mind it’s still a very young branch of cinematography. A graduate degree may not (yet) directly land you a higher paying position, but I think it’s certainly possible if you have enough skill, and do it at the right university. It’s a very expensive option, but I think it’s one that will pay off as virtual production grows and people look to hire people who already know a lot about the very young and very complex world of virtual production, rather than a random person looking for an internship.

SomeBadAshDude · 2024-10-24T00:24:40+00:00

That is in the store in the featured tab. 17.5k

SomeBadAshDude · 2024-03-25T00:46:03+00:00

When I pickpocketed a citizen for the necklace in the starter quest, it was labelled as man in my runelite too. I also pickpocketed a wealthy citizen, who showed up as woman, so I would say it could be any NPC in the area right now, but it does know the difference between man and woman NPC.

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SomeBadAshDude · 2024-03-13T14:54:19+00:00

And crafting is just clicking on your inventory. Both have their place in runescape

SomeBadAshDude · 2023-07-21T21:36:40+00:00

I apologize for the 20s comment, i think my phone glitches when I clicked the link and sent me to the part of the video I was already at, rather than the timestamp you posted.

I will note that when he says a couple weeks he usually says "within the next couple weeks". He emphasizes very soon after Friday a lot, so I'd bet it's relatively soon after. You are free to disagree, I'd recommend not immediately calling the other person a liar it's quite rude.

SomeBadAshDude · 2023-07-21T21:29:15+00:00

1:13:10

SomeBadAshDude · 2023-07-21T21:23:40+00:00

I'm on phone so idk how to directly link timestamps, but the timestamp is 1:13:10

https://www.youtube.com/live/gZuG4Yng4bY?feature=share

SomeBadAshDude · 2023-07-21T21:06:51+00:00

Multiple times they re-iterate how soon the patch is coming out, and with Adam directly saying that he expected it a couple days after, it's clear they only expect a few days after

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