iMac Configuration for V-Ray for SketchUp

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Level 1

4 points

iMac Configuration for V-Ray for SketchUp

I work in a small (3-person) residential architecture firm. We are about to buy a new iMac to be used for rendering, and I am wondering if anyone has advice about how I should configure it.

Now that V-Ray has a cloud rendering service, do we need to spend the money on an upgraded processor, or will the 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor be adequate? We'll spend the extra money if it's necessary, but I don't want to over-buy just for the sake of it. We'll upgrade from 8GB to 16GB RAM, since that's seems to be a universal recommendation.

It is unlikely that we will render anything to a photorealistic level. Mostly, we want to be able to do quick renders for describing spaces to our clients in design meetings.

I will also post in the V-Ray forums, but I thought I might get less "buy a PC" advice here. :)

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Nov 20, 2019 2:43 PM

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Answer 1

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rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,688 points

Nov 20, 2019 3:12 PM in response to superdude

I would recommend upgrading to the best GPU you can get, currently that is the

Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8GB of HBM2 memory and also getting the largest SSD for storage you can afford. The bottleneck in current computers is the storage type. In terms of performance:

Best is an SSD (and also best in terms of reliability)
Better is a Fusion drive
OK is a spinning hard drive

CPU speed is not as major a consideration, however if you can afford it get the i9 CPU.

Your are correct about the RAM, get the base 8GB and then add an additional 16GB to get a total of 24GB. Only use Crucial.com or macsales.com RAM as iMacs do best with either of these brands. Which vendor is up-to-you, both are dependable and provide excellent service and offer lifetime warranties on their RAM.

Remember Apple offers 18 month same as cash financing for qualified people, if you take that into consideration it is better to stretch a little bit.

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Answer 2

Johnb-one

Level 6

9,156 points

Nov 20, 2019 3:38 PM in response to superdude

maybe I can throw in my opinion here, for what it's worth

Yes, a 6-core 8th generation iMac should be OK, and 16 gigs of RAM should be do-able. The most recent models of iMac, the iMac Pro do come with better graphics cards in them *(or at least chips)* ; than previous generations of iMacs had. Plus, having more cores does help out as well as overall system speed. Your take-away from this is: iMacs are not upgradeable by the user once you have custom ordered them in a certain way, which is what I think Apple does now. Yes, you will get greater speed, graphics capability and over-all moxie, but they are not cheap. I am not very familiar with V-Ray, but I'm guessing it's graphics intensive, plus you're an architect, or employed by an architectural firm. So, yes, you want the power, and you need the power.

Yours is the steak, right ?

Not too big on just salad, I take it ??

I think the idea of quickness is the key here. You could also get an eGPU and hook it up to your new iMac Pro. It should also work with anything that needs a graphics boost and has a Thunderbolt 3 socket on it, so any recent model of Mac/iMac/iMac Pro/MacBook Pro, etc..... It's about $750 plus tax for the whole package (enclosure +8 gig graphics card) . with that connected to your new imac pro, you sure could render quickly. And....as your needs changed, you could update the graphics card with ease. I don't know how much more an updated processor for your iMac Pro would cost you, or how much more beef it would get you, but I can imagine it wouldn't be cheap. Macs as a rule never are cheap, but they do last a long time and technical support is probably a lot easier, I guess.

anyways, that's just my opinion

john b

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Answer 3

superdude Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 21, 2019 7:56 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks, this is really helpful advice!

When you mention the RAM, can I make this upgrade myself after the iMac arrives? And is there are cost-savings to doing it that way vs. just adding more to the device when I'm ordering it from Apple?

Would you also say that getting 512GB SSD would be better than 1TB Fusion? I.e., the storage type is more important that the storage volume? This computer won't be required to store much, since our office files live on a Synology server.

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Answer 4

superdude Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 21, 2019 8:09 AM in response to Johnb-one

Thanks for your input, John. And you're right, an iMac Pro would be a much better workstation all-around, but it's also about 2x the cost. In the past we have out-sourced the rendering we have done, but that has also meant it was hard to iterate during the design process, so we are just dipping our toes into doing it ourselves. As such, we likely don't need to break the bank until we know how much we'll actually use it as a tool. The next computer will likely be much better!

I hadn't considered that I could add an external GPU, but that's an excellent suggestion. While I love Macs, I don't love that they can't be upgraded after the fact, and I have been worried about unintentionally handicapping ourselves to the point of needing to buy a new unit sooner than expected. This could be a great way to bridge the gap between machines, and something that wasn't on my radar!

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Answer 5

Johnb-one

Level 6

9,156 points

Nov 21, 2019 11:11 AM in response to superdude

You’re welcome, superdude

0hhhh... you’re getting an iMac and not an iMac Pro, well that’s a horse of a different colour...

yes—you can upgrade the RAM afterwards, max is 128 gigs if you want...and yes, absolutely go for that SSD. You should be able to get 1 or 2 tb SSD drives no sweat and they are supposed to be faster and as reliable as a fusion drive. might as well get that Fusion drive swapped out with an SSD too. I am glad to see you have a backup system in place and are using it

so I’m done

john b

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