M2 Max vs M2 Ultra

[steverap]

I am a photographer working mostly with a Sony a7R V and my RAW files are about 130 MB. I use Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop in my workflow. I do most of my editing in Photoshop and my files usually have a dozen or more layers, often including a few smart layers, so the resulting files are often 3+ GB. I use Photoshop's Generative Fill and other AI-powered functions, but I do not do any video work. 

I intend to buy a Mac Studio and am debating whether to buy the M2 Max or the M2 Ultra. Is the Ultra worth it for someone with my workflow? Thanks, Steve

[jeyell]

Rather than spend just on the processor, consider increasing a Max with more memory 32-64GB and SSD 4TB etc
The speed of inbuilt storage on M Macs is as fast as you can get. So if your image library fits, mount it in the Mac and it flies.

[mcbroomf]

I am a photographer working mostly with a Sony a7R V and my RAW files are about 130 MB. I use Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop in my workflow. I do most of my editing in Photoshop and my files usually have a dozen or more layers, often including a few smart layers, so the resulting files are often 3+ GB. I use Photoshop's Generative Fill and other AI-powered functions, but I do not do any video work.

I intend to buy a Mac Studio and am debating whether to buy the M2 Max or the M2 Ultra. Is the Ultra worth it for someone with my workflow? Thanks, Steve

Take a look at ArtisRight videos, he's been testing them since the 1st M1 devices came out and uses LRC and PS tests (you can skip the video testing as I do).  His new posts include M2 Studios vs his older M1 Studios as well as other models.  He does not have an M2 Max version, only Ultras, but the comparison includes an M1 Max Studio and is worth the look.
https://www.youtube.com/@ArtIsRight/videos

For Denoise tests only I have been compiling data here.
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1804640/16#16277472