Intel i5-3210m 2.5GHz-3.1Ghz 2 core processor on Maya/3ds Max 2013

I am curious on how a 3rd gen Ivy Bridge i5-3210m 2.5GHz (turboboost up to 3.1GHz) processor with 2 cores will perform on Maya 2013 or 3ds Max 2013.

We will assume we have 8GB of RAM and a Nvidia GT640m 2GB video RAM graphics card.

I am asking because this will affect which computer I plan to purchase.
Thanks!

 

The really CPU intensive parts of 3DS/Maya are the rendering, but that heavily depends on what renderer you use. Regardless, quad-i5s are just really good, and you should have no problem using that setup for modeling.

If you're doing sculpting (I mean 1mil+ polys) you'll need a better GPU. The GTX640 is a low-end rebrand at this point, and it's just about at the bottom of the range now.

 

The mobile i5s are dual cores with hyperthreading, never forget that. what kind of workload will you be doing with Maya and /ds Max. Also note that Kepler sucks at computer compared to AMD or Fermi if the software you use doesn't support CUDA and most use OpenCL these days.

If all you're gonna do is school work, that system will probably be enough to get the job done if you're in a pinch though.

 

Things I will be doing on Maya and 3ds Max include making ragdolls and animating with ragdolls (creating short animation scenes). How will that work using my configurations?

Also, how would the Nvidia GT640m LE perform? The AMD Radeon 7670m?

I am considering these options as in which laptop to purchase-

-Sony Vaio SV-S13
-Sony Vaio SV-Z13
-Gigabyte U2442n

All laptops can be found on the manufacturer's website.

Any ideas or recommendatiosn?

 

Animation isn't generally done with ragdolls (besides simulation). I think you might want to get better acquainted with a 3D suite before basing such a big purchase on it. 3DS Max has a free trial and it will run on just about any modern rig capable of running Windows. If you're using Blender (as you've mentioned in other posts) it will basically run on anything.

Again, the place where you'll be bottlenecked isn't in the interface, it's the offline rendering. If you want to render high resolution, multisampled, raytraced images in reasonable time, go with the best CPU you can afford. If you're just looking to test things out, and you can spare the time to render overnight, then it's up to you.

The GT 640 performed better in benchmarks by a significant margin according to notebookcheck. NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M LE - Notebookcheck.net Tech

Addendum: The S13 does not have a dedicated GPU option. You have to choose the S13p for that. The Z13 has no dedicated graphics option. The Gigabyte is the most suitable for gaming, which you mentioned in a previous topic. You really shouldn't break your search into a bunch of threads, as vital information (for instance, why do you need an ultrabook?) gets lost in the turnover.

 

I will probably be using Maya 2013 for most of my projects, because I am more inclined into filmmaking rather than game engines, but I do like the Bi-Ped function in 3ds Max. Fortunately, I have a student discount and can get all Autodesk software for free. Blender works nicely, but does not have the features 3ds and Maya do.

Now my only question remaining is: Will Maya 2013 be able to handle my setup (i5 3210, 8GB RAM, and GT640)?

Doesn't the Z13 allow you to purchase a Power Media Dock and plug that in for dedicated graphics? And my only concern for the Gigabyte is whether its processor setup is right for doing 3D work.