But then would it really be "rendering?" Using your Normal map to create an AO map is not a true Ambient Occlusion. Though it can create some nice fine shadows...
End result is all that matters, anyone who knows enough to be worthy of you caring of their opinion will know that using floaters well shows you have the technical knowhow to create good results while managing your time properly. Excessively complex meshes only show you're not very good at managing your time, or that…