Architecture student here looking to switch from Windows to Mac, as someone who is a bit tired of windows!
My main workflow is SketchUp + V-Ray rendering and Adobe (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign). I know Adobe and SketchUp run fine on Apple Silicon, and I’m planning on a MacBook Pro M5 with ~24GB RAM if I go that route.
What I’m unsure about is V-Ray performance.
My Windows alternative would be something like:
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
RTX 5060
32GB RAM
So obviously better on paper for GPU/CPU hybrid rendering.
I’m not trying to chase max render speeds, just wondering if the M5 is actually “good enough” for decent V-Ray render times in real-world architecture workflow, or if I’ll regret not sticking with an RTX machine.
For context I currently use my old desktop for V-ray rendering which has a GTX 1080 and Ryzen 1600x, which has served me well the past few years, so an upgrade would be particularly welcome.
If anyone’s using SketchUp + V-Ray on Apple Silicon, would really appreciate real experience, especially how it compares to RTX laptops.
M5 MacBook Pro with upgraded storage goes for £1899, so I would be looking around the same range for a windows equivalent.
Thank you!