Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
If it ’s speed you need , the Mac Studio fits the bill . Apple ’s main offering for professionals is a complete package of processing power , features , and design .
Mary Leontyne Price When review
This note value will show the geolocated pricing text for ware undefined
The Mac Studio is Apple’s Mac for high-end professionals but not thehighest-end professionals.
Best Pricing Today
Best Prices Today: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
The Mac Studio had a flamboyant unveiling last twelvemonth , a new background design with speed that filled the needs of the most demanding professionals . But it also rear a few questions at the prison term : Does it replace the Mac Pro ? And if it does n’t , will Apple continue the Mac Studio business line once the Apple Si Mac Pro arrives ? Would the Mac Studio finish up just like iMac Pro , a model that got little attention after its release and finally was give up ?
We now have answers that give the Mac batting order some much - needed clarity . Apple establish at WWDC that it is dedicate to upgrade and maintaining the high - ending screen background Mac as a platform with the release of theM2 Max / Ultra Mac StudioandtheM2 Ultra Mac Pro . The Mac Studio is Apple ’s primary offering for customers looking for a high - performance Mac , while the Mac Pro addresses a recess that needs hardware expansion . If you are interested , here’show the Mac Pro equate to the Mac Studio .
However , the M2 Pro Mac mini that Apple release back in January provides an interesting comparing with the M2 Max Mac Studio . Whether thatMac mini or the M2 Max Mac Studiois the Mac for you reckon on the kind of body of work you do .
The Mac Studio is Apple’s Mac for high-end professionals but not thehighest-end professionals.
This revaluation looks at the Mac Studio with an M2 Max chip , a 38 - nucleus GPU , 64 GB of retentiveness , and a 2 TB SSD . It has several rise over the entry - level $ 1,999/£2,099 M2 Max Mac Studio , which puts the price of our review social unit at $ 3,199/£3,299 . Apple also sell a $ 3,999/£4,199 Mac Studio with an M2 Ultra , 64 GB of memory , and a 1 TB SSD .
Update 6/13 : The M2 Max Mac Studio is nowshipping from Apple.comand other retailer .
The Mac Studio is Apple ’s Mac for mellow - end professional but not thehighest - end professionals .
A ring of air vents is found underneath the Mac Studio.
metalworks
From M1 Max to the M2 Max
The Mac Studio debuted in March of last class with M1 Max and M1 Ultra theoretical account . The M1 chip serial has had its time ( there are only two Macs left with the entrance - level M1 chip ) , and the M2 serial publication is in full cut . The Mac Studio now comes with an M2 Max or M2 Ultra for the same Leontyne Price .
New chips mean , of course , boosted performance . The M2 Max has a 12 - nitty-gritty CPU , which is split between eight performance center and four efficiency cores . Its predecessor , the M1 Max , had two fewer efficiency cores ( 10 full mainframe nucleus ) . Apple claims an advance of up to 25 percentage over the M1 Max .
We always commence off our reviews with a look at ecumenical - aim performance with theGeekbenchbenchmark . In our multi - core testing , the M2 Max was 18 per centum faster than the M1 Max it replaces – not the 25 percentage Apple claim , but Apple does elude it by saying “ up to 25 percentage . ” The M2 Max ’s single - nucleus result provides a 19 percent betterment .
There are plenty of ports, including a new “enhancedHDMI” port on the 2023 Mac Studio.
A data head that mystify out is the multi - core answer of the M2 Pro – this chip shot has the same 12 - core CPU as the M2 Max . The M2 Pro that I tested in the16 - in MacBook Prois about 5 percent slower than the M2 Max Mac Studio , a divergence you ’ll barely point out , so it essentially has the same CPU performance . The M2 Pro is a $ 300 option on the $ 1,299 Mac mini ; if your piece of work involves a lot of central processing unit processing and less graphics processing ( which we ’ll get to in a bit ) , the Mac miniskirt can be a more low-cost option over the Mac Studio .
We also ranCinebench R23to gauge CPU carrying into action , and these are the issue that matter most to emptor of the Mac Studio since Cinebench mainly uses 3D interpretation and is a better functioning gage for creative professional . We project a 20 percentage advance of the M2 Max over the M1 Max – still not 25 pct , but nearer .
We also again see that the M2 Max Mac Studio and the M2 Pro Mac miniskirt had the same functioning . It ’s important to reiterate here that even though Cinebench is a C.P.U. - focalise 3D rendering test and does n’t swear on the cow chip ’s GPU .
The Mac Studio starts with an M2 Max at $1,999. M2 Ultra models start at $3,499.
HandBrakeis a video convertor app that stress the CPU or specialised video hardware , depending on how it is configured . In this mental testing , we transcoded the 4 K version of the royalty - freeTears of Steelvideo to H.265 using the central processing unit and the picture encoders ( the “ VideoToolbox ” theoretical account interlingual rendition ) .
In the CPU encode test , the M2 Max squander by the M1 Max , improving performance by 32 pct . Our results also showed that the M2 Max has a slight edge over the M2 Pro , which is potential due to the amount of memory board available . The Mac miniskirt in our tests had 16 GB of RAM , while the Mac Studio has 64 GiB .
The M2 Max ’s encouragement over the M1 Max was a more pocket-size 18 pct when using the video encoders . It also posted the same amphetamine as the M2 Pro Mac miniskirt .
With the BlackmagicDisk Speed Test , we saw a little 5 percent improvement in the M2 Max Mac Studio ’s SSD over the M1 Max . That ’s a noticeable difference when dealing with heavy files . The Read results are essentially similar . The M2 Max Mac Studio ’s SSD also posted moderate boost over the M2 Pro Mac mini ’s SSD .
The GPU gets a boost, too
The M2 Max in this review has a 38 - core GPU , which is an climb from the 30 - core GPU in the $ 1,999 Mac Studio . The 32 - gist GPU in theM1 Max Mac Studio that we refresh last yearwas also an upgrade option . So in our GPU comparisons , we ’re looking at the new 38 - substance GPU versus the honest-to-goodness 32 - marrow GPU .
The Geekbench 6 Compute benchmark test the GPU performance using OpenCL or Metal genus Apis . Metal is developed by Apple and it ’s the API the troupe want developers to use to get the best carrying into action . OpenCL is an open - stock API that ’s more wide used because of its cross - compatibility .
With both the Metal and OpenCL benchmarks , the M2 Max ’s 38 - core GPU provides swiftness that is over 21 percent quicker than the M1 Max ’s 30 - core GPU . The M1 Ultra is include in this examination for your reference – with either 48 or 64 GPU essence , it zooms past the M2 Max . The M2 Ultra is available with 60 or 76 GPU nub .
I made it a compass point to call out the M2 Max ’s similar CPU carrying into action against the M2 Pro , but here ’s where the M2 Max Mac Studio dissever itself from the M2 Pro Mac mini , which comes with either 16 or 19 GPU cores . If your piece of work involves GPU processing , get a Mac Studio with as many GPU cores as you may afford .
Apple says it wants to bestow more games to the Mac , and at WWDC , the company divulge some efforts to get more developer on circuit board . It ’s go to take some time before we can get some modern games to benchmark with , so in the meantime , we ’re sticking to what we have : Tomb RaiderandCivilization 6 . The M2 Max Mac Studio post some telling framerates .
Resident Evil Villageis a more recent game that featuresMetalFX Upscaling , which can boost artwork operation in software program that habituate Apple ’s MetalFX API . It ’s the type of graphics upscaling that AMD and Nvidia have done on the Windows PC .
To see it in legal action on the Mac Studio , I touch off a Metal Performance HUD , which exhibit the skeleton pace . ( you could do this in the Terminal by enter at the promptdefaults save -g MetalForceHudEnabled -bool yesand then hit Return . To plow it off , insert the same computer code in Terminal but replaceyeswithno . ) I set the biz display configurations with the Prioritize Graphics preset and the filmdom resolution at 2560×1440 . Then I lam the game twice .
The first metre , I did not utilise MetalFX Upscaling and I had frame rates between 130 and 160 fps when moving around the game . The 2nd metre , I activated MetalFX Upscaling to the Quality setting , and the human body pace jumped up between 160 to 195 fps . What a angelic boost ! Hopefully , Apple will do more to promote this engineering to game developers so we can see the Mac gaming subroutine library produce and , more significantly , become more current .
iMovie benchmarks
Apple chip have video encryption engines , and we use iMovie to screen them out . In our exportation tests , we did n’t see a divergence between the M2 Max and the M1 Max , which is n’t that surprising since the engines between the two are very similar . The iMovie Stabilze test that we do puts atmospheric pressure on the chip ’s Neural Engine , and we see a 20 percentage dispute between the two chip .
TheM2 Max has double as many ProRes engine as the M2 Pro , which explain why it is so much quicker in our trial .
A ring of atmosphere vents is found underneath the Mac Studio .
A big difference with display support
The main affair that ’s unexampled about the 2023 Mac Studio is the system on a chip – almost everything else is the same as last year . Apple did n’t enclose any blueprint modification or change the act of ports , though there are some upgrades . The headphone jack now has advanced reenforcement for gamy - resistivity headphone and you get Wi - Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 as with Apple ’s other recent Macs .
However , there is a big change in the display sustenance . The 2023 Mac Studio has an “ enhanced HDMI ” port instead of HDMI 2.0 , and this enhanced HDMI implementation supports feature film in the HDMI 2.1 spec . This upgrade fixes the major defect in the original Mac Studio : its HDMI larboard has a maximum resolution of 4 K at 60Hz . Now , you may plug into a display with 8 kelvin at 60Hz or 4 kB at 240Hz . And there ’s livelihood for variable refresh rate , HDR , and multichannel audio .
That ’s not all ! If you also use Thunderbolt , the M2 Max Mac Pro still supports four displays with 6 K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt , and one display with 4 thousand at 60Hz over HDMI . The unexampled characteristic is that you’re able to now link two displays with 6 K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt , and one presentation with 8 M at 60Hz or 4 K at up to 240Hz over HDMI . Did you get all that ? Cool !
If you require to go hog unwarranted with the displays , you ’ll need to upgrade to the M2 Ultra Mac Studio . Since this is a follow-up of the M2 Max Mac Studio , I ’m not going to go over all the M2 Ultra exhibit configurations . you may check out Apple ’s website , but here ’s a little annoyer : you may link up to eight 4 K at 60Hz displays . Yowza !
you’re able to register my follow-up from last year if you want adeep dive into the Mac Studio ’s design , find out thedetails about the extraneous ports , or get thenitty - gritty on Apple ’s mouse , trackpad , and keyboard offering . Here ’s a spry smoke - full stop summary if you require the centre .
HDMI ” embrasure on the 2023 Mac Studio .
Mac Studio or M2 Pro Mac mini?
As show by our examination , the M2 Max Mac Studio and the M2 Pro Mac miniskirt have exchangeable CPU performance . That establish sense since both mainframe have 12 core , split up into 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores . With that being the case , if you know that the apps you ferment in the most are CPU subordinate , the M2 Pro Mac mini could be a money - save thoughtfulness – if you do n’t customize it beyond the CPU upgrade .
To get the 12 - gist M2 Pro Mac mini , customers take the $ 1,299 standard configuration 10 - core M2 Pro Mac miniskirt and upgrade the CPU . That brings the price up to $ 1,599 on a model with 16 GB of computer memory . If you then determine to also upgrade to 32 GB of memory , the price is $ 1,999 – thesame priceas a pedestal model M2 Max Mac Studio with a 12 - center CPU , 30 - core GPU , 32 GB of memory , and a 512 GB SSD . For the same Leontyne Price , the Mac Studio provides more GPU performance , front port , and expanded display support .
If you use a lot of pro - flat software package that is GPU dependant , then the Mac Studio is the definite selection with its better computer graphic carrying into action . The M2 Pro Mac miniskirt ’s GPU tops off at 19 cores , while the M2 Max Mac Studio GPU starts at 30 cores and has an upgrade to 38 cores ( which we tested here ) . If you postulate more , you could promote to an M2 Ultra with 60 or 76 GPU core .
The M2 Pro Mac miniskirt has other limitation that could sway you towards a Mac Studio . Its maximum memory configuration is 32 GB , while the M2 Max Mac Studio can have up to 64 GB , or 96 GB if you kick upstairs to the 38 - core GPU . Also , the M2 Pro Mac mini tolerate up to three 4 K 60Hz displays , while the M2 Max Mac Studio can manage up to five , and the M2 Ultra Mac Studio can hold up up to eight .
The Mac Studio bulge with an M2 Max at $ 1,999 . M2 Ultra models start at $ 3,499 .
Still a worthy investment
Thanks to the internet , everyone is a media creator nowadays , whether you ’re tend to social media , do your own movies , producing medicine , shooting and blue-pencil pic , creating work of art , or acquire software . The Mac Studio is the idealistic Mac – it ’s brawny , priced appropriately , has loads of interface for plug in gadget , and it wo n’t take up a mickle of desk infinite .
If you buy a Mac Studio last year , there ’s little cause to upgrade , unless processing business leader is a never - ending search for you , or you need to colligate more displays than what the 2022 Mac Studio can cover . If you’re able to restrain off until later 2024 or early 2025 , we could get the M3 Max / Pro by then , and the M3 ’s raw 3 nm operation promises to take Apple Si beyond the 25 percent incremental improvement we usually get .
If you ’ve been hold up off on the Mac Studio all this time , what are you waiting for ? The Mac Pro ? Well , it ’s here , have merriment with it ! Seriously , if the Mac Studio fits the bank bill when it first came out but you waited , you could keep waiting for the M3 I just mentioned . Or you may get one now and get some work done quicker than ever before .
The Mac Studio starts at $ 1,999 with an M2 Max – you get a nifty bit of feature and office , specially if you compare it to the M2 Pro Mac mini . The Mac Studio with Apple ’s most brawny silicon chip , the M2 Ultra , begin at $ 3,999 .
