Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The Mac Studio is a mean automobile ideal for the most hectic of yield environments .
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The Mac Studio comes with either an M4 Max or M3 (that’s right,M3) Ultra chip
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With itsmost recent update , Apple ’s fastest Mac is the Mac Studio , hands down . The Mac Pro lurking in the background might cost more and look more powerful , but it still has a chip that was release nearly three years ago , and that chip is n’t the fastest anymore .
So , the spotlight focuses on the Mac Studio . That ’s not by accident . Apple has been veer towards compact design with its products , so the party ’s predilection for the Mac Studio as its top performing artist fit the eyeshade . And the Mac Studio is up to the task – thickset does n’t mean a sacrifice in carrying out . It ’s a bastardly car paragon for the most hectic of production environment .
The Mac Studio comes with either an M4 Max or M3 (that’s right,M3) Ultra chip
The Mac Studio comes with either an M4 Max or M3 ( that ’s proper , M3 ) extremist chip
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M4 Max Mac Studio: Our model’s specifications
Apple offers two standard constellation of the Mac Studio : A $ 1,999 modeling with an M4 Max chip , and a $ 3,999 model with an M3 Ultra . Each configuration can be customise with more memory and SSD , as well as variation on the chip ’s central processing unit and GPU cores .
This review focuses on the M4 Max Mac Studio , and our reassessment unit has a silicon chip upgrade from the standard form , as well as more Aries and a larger SSD . Here are the specs of our review unit :
M4 Max Mac Studio: Performance
Apple did something … differentwith the Mac Studio . It offers it with both Max and Ultra version of its M - series chip , as it has always done . But this clip , the check are not from the same generation ; or else , there ’s an M4 Max and anM3Ultra . When asked byArs Technicawhy an M3 Ultra instead of an M4 Ultra , Apple unconditionally said every chip generation would n’t have an Ultra chip in its card . According toNumerama , the M4 Max silicon chip does n’t have the UltraFusion technology Apple apply to create an Ultra scrap . So this ’ll presumably be the top - of - the - line chip until the M5 Ultra get along along .
The M4 Max Mac Studio comes stock with a 14 - heart and soul mainframe ( 10 performance cores , 4 efficiency core group ) , a 32 - core GPU , 36 GB of unified memory , and a 512 GB SSD . This review looks at the M4 Max option with a 16 - core CPU ( two more performance cores ) , a 40 - core GPU , 128 GB of RAM , and a 1 TB SSD , which all add $ 1,700 the cost of the Mac Studio .
Geekbench 6
Results are expressed as Geekbench wads . Higher scores / long bars are dissipated .
The M4 Max ’s 76 pct addition over the M2 Max is impressive , even considering the two - generation bulge . The M4 Max is also 25 percent quicker than the M2 Ultra , which was Apple ’s fast chip even after the M3 Max go far .
Cinebench 2024
Results are expressed as Cinebench tons . Higher scores / longer bars are immobile .
The rise of the M4 Max over the M2 Max ( 12 - core CPU ) is gigantic , but there ’s practically no difference between the M2 Ultra and the M4 Max . If you have an M2 Ultra Mac Studio and thought maybe you could save a little bit of money by upgrade to the M4 Max instead , it ’s probably not worth it for the CPU .
iMovie video export
Results are times in seconds . broken times / shorter bars are faster .
Mac Studio users are more likely to be using pro apps rather of consumer - free-base software package like iMovie , but the Indian file exportation can give a gumption of the operation gain , regardless . The 24 percent boost with ProRes exportation is a significant amount of time for originative professional .
Handbrake 1.9.2 video encode
In this test , we transcoded the 4KTears of Steelvideo to H.265 usingHandBrake , a picture converter app . Some huge gains are watch here , either when using the Mac ’s ironware encoders or when not .
The Mac Studio ’s conception has not alter since its unveiling in 2022 .
Blackmagic Disk Tests
Results are megabytes per secondly . Higher rates / longer bars are faster .
These musical score are essentially unconditional across the circuit card . The carrying out here is in force , but it appears that it ’ll take some newfound innovation to see a drastic change in SSD performance .
Geekbench 6.4 Compute
The M4 Max in our followup has a 40 - core GPU , which is two more than the M2 Mac Studio , so that , along with any new optimization the M4 Max has , results in a 25 percent Metal melioration . Geekbench Compute tests graphics with either OpenCL or Metal APIs , the latter of which is Apple ’s .
M4 Max Mac Studio: Thunderbolt 5 ports
The other major upgrade with the unexampled Mac Studio is that the Thunderbolt port now supportThunderbolt 5 . This importantly increase the bandwidth from 40Gbps in Thunderbolt 4 in the old Mac Studio to 80Gbps – for picture it can go as high as 120Gbps . That ’s a grownup deal for product use , but to take reward of the f number , however , you ask to use Thunderbolt 5 machine , which are still dear and reasonably rare .
The Mac Studio ’s Thunderbolt port have been elevate to Thunderbolt 5 .
This enhances the external show livelihood on the M4 Max Mac Studio a little . It can still aim up to five displays , four over Thunderbolt at 6K/60Hz , and one connect to the HDMI 2.1 porthole at 4K/144Hz ( HDMI was previously limited to 4K/60Hz ) . The other exhibit connection option has n’t changed : two displays with 6 K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt , and one display with 8 K at 60Hz or 4 K at up to 240Hz over HDMI .
The Mac Studio’s design has not changed since its introduction in 2022.
M4 Max Mac Studio: Status quo
The two major change with the 2025 Mac Studio are the fleck upgrades and the Thunderbolt 5 implementation . Apple has n’t changed anything else . But because we strive for completeness , here ’s a sum-up of those unchanged point .
One thing that has n’t changed that I bid would , is the Mac Studio ’s agency of initiate the setup procedure for theMagic Keyboard . It involves pressing the Mac Studio ’s power button double , and likebefore , it took me several endeavor to retrieve the rhythm of the two-fold button press . It did n’t take me 13 tries like last time , but it did take me eight attempts , which seems like seven too many .
Should you buy the M4 Max Mac Studio?
When you take as much processing power as you could get , the Mac Studio is your only pick decent now . as luck would have it , it provides a serious amount of processing powerfulness , whether you get an M4 Max or M3 Ultra .
The bottom of the Mac Studio feature a ring of air vents .
If you bought any of the retiring versions of the Mac Studio , you ’re never slaked with the upper and always need faster performance . You ’ll regain the supercharge performance deserving the money , but think you also get Thunderbolt 5 , which can make your experience even better , so long as you use Thunderbolt 5 gadget .
The Mac Studio’s Thunderbolt ports have been upgraded to Thunderbolt 5.
Apple ’s other workstation , the Mac Pro , has the sole purpose now of occupy a niche : user who need the expansion slot . It was n’t update and still has an M2 Ultra chip , which is now a obtuse C.P.U. than the M4 Pro . You ’re not buying the Mac Pro if you want the fast Mac . verbalise of the M4 Pro , the current M2 Pro Mac mini start at $ 1,399 , but if you upgrade it to a 14 - core M4 Pro CPU ( $ 200 ) and 48 GB of RAM ( $ 400 ) , you terminate up with the same price as the entry - level M4 Max Mac Studio that is the better deal . You do n’t get as much Aries , but you do get more GPU power , more ports , and more robust display support .
The bottom of the Mac Studio features a ring of air vents.
