2023 MacBook Pro M3 Max: Image Scaling, Topaz Gigapixel AI

2023-12-27 • SEND FEEDBACK •
Related: 2019 iMac 5K, 2019 Mac Pro, 4K and 5K display, Apple 2023 Mac Pro M2 Ultra, Apple MacBook Pro M3, Apple Silicon, Artificial Intelligence, focus stacking, GPU, iMac, iMac 5K, image scaling, laptop, Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Macs, Other World Computing, Topaz Labs, Topaz Labs Gigapixel AI, video tech

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Consult with Lloyd, to design a complete system for photography or similar including backup and data safety

MPG tested both the 14-inch and 16-inch models Apple 2023 MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB /4TB, model Z1AU002AK and model Z1AF001AN. See all Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max.

Consult with Lloyd to design a complete system for photography or similar including backup and data safety.

About

2019 iMac 5K

Topaz Labs'Topaz Gigapixel AI does computationally intensive high-grade image scaling using either CPU or GPU. Highly recommended for photographers looking to take any image to a far larger and higher quality size; the results are jaw dropping.

This tests scales a 60-megapixel (9552 X 6360) image 2X linearly to a 240 megapixel (19104 X 12720) image.

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Results

See the image scaling settings.

The Intel machines are far behind in the dust—so far behind they are off-scale of the graph. But while they are 4-year-old technology, the video card in the Mac Pro was the fastest and most expensive one back in early 2020 (AMD Radeon Pro Vega II 32 GB). Still, even if video speed doubled, it would still lag badly.

On M1/M2/M3 Apple Silicon, Gigapixel AI uses the GPU exclusively, regardless of settings.

Disappointing is that 2023 Mac Pro M2 Ultra (60 GPU cores) is slower than the 2023 MacBook Pro M3 Max (40 GPU cores)., suggesting a software inefficiency.

*** See test notes discussing 2019 Mac Pro and 2022 MacBook Pro M2 Max results.

2023 MacBook Pro: image scaling with Topaz Gigapixel AI

2023 MacBook Pro M3 Max