Apple Mac Studio vs. M1 Ultra review: Size doesn't matter

Apple’s new Mac Studio has a footprint two and a half times larger than the Mac Mini. In terms of volume and most dimensions, it's smaller than any Intel PC with a desktop-specific graphics card. It's obvious when you look at it, but less so when you use it, because this thing is a beast, and it's Apple's best Mac yet.

This is what makes Mac Studio truly special. Not only is it powerful, it's included in a package that simply wasn't possible in the past. I recently reviewed the Intel NUC 12 Extreme, which is as small a package as you can get in a full-featured Intel CPU and a proper dedicated graphics card. The Mac Studio is still much smaller, small enough to fit on your desk beneath your monitor.

The biggest drawback remains the lack of proper Windows support. You can run Windows on ARM through virtualization in Parallels, but that's not the same as running it natively in Boot Camp on an Intel Mac. I'd love to see how a game like Forza Horizon 5 would perform on the M1 Ultra, but that's still not possible. But if you're doing creative work like editing 8K video, or frankly, anything that can take advantage of multi-threading, you can't beat it. With all these features, it just sits quietly on your desk (that's right; I say quietly) in the background.

I also want to be clear that for about 99% of users, the Mac Mini will do exactly what you need it to do. This is for creators who need a lot of resources to edit high-resolution videos, professionals who need multi-threading for 3D rendering, or something similar.

However, with a starting price of $1,999,

is

the cheapest option to buy a PC with an M1 Max processor. If you need more, there's always the M1 Ultra. Apple MAC Studio

Apple Mac Studio is designed for creators and other professionals who need powerful features

Features:

Desktop-shaped M1 Max or M1 Ultra

• is compact and closer to gaming than Mac Mini PC
• The Return of USB Type-A on Mac

##Pros :

Mac Studio Pricing and Availability

• Purchase Mac Studio starting at $1,999 for the M1 Max model and $3,999 for the M1 Ultra model.
• Most people don’t need the M1 Ultra chipset.

Apple’s Mac Studio was unveiled at an event on March 8 and launches on March 18. While there are multiple configurations to choose from, there are two key options, the M1 Max chipset and the M1 Ultra.

Before the launch of Mac Studio, we had only seen the M1 Max in MacBook Pro laptops. It's super high-end, it's a beast. But if you're in the very rare camp of the M1 Max and that's not enough for you, then the M1 Ultra is your choice. The M1 Ultra is basically two M1 Max chipsets glued together using a process Apple calls UltraFusion.

Obviously, the M1 Ultra is significantly more powerful than the M1 Max, but it's also unnecessary for the vast majority of users. It also costs twice as much. The M1 Max model starts at $1,999, making it the cheapest option among all M1 Max PCs, while the M1 Ultra model for Mac Studio starts at $3,999.

Performance and price aren't where the differences end, either. The M1 Ultra model weighs 2 pounds more thanks to the copper cooling module, while the M1 Max model uses a regular aluminum heatsink.

The key here is to understand your needs. Basically, if you don't know you need an M1 Ultra yet, you can easily pick up the M1 Max and save yourself a few thousand dollars.

Mac Studio Specifications

First class power supply

What it offers is very small
• This is the cheapest way to get an M1 Max
• Cons :

Windows support is poor, so all these features don't translate well to gaming

The M1 Ultra model is expensive

SoundBuilt-in speakersConnectionWireless Internet access DimensionsHeight: 3.7 inches (9.5 cm) Electrical & Operating RequirementsLine Voltage: 100–240V ACIn the boxMac StudioOperating system澳门systemPrice$3,999

These are the specs for the model I reviewed. If you choose the M1 Ultra, it's the base model of Mac Studio. If you opt for the M1 Max, it's half that price, although you get less RAM, less storage, the front-facing ports aren't Thunderbolt, and it weighs 2 pounds less. The reason the M1 Max model is lighter is because the M1 Ultra requires additional hardware to dissipate heat.

Design: Mac Studio is small enough to fit under a monitor

• Mac Studio measures 7.7×7.7×3.7 inches, equivalent to the footprint of a Mac Mini but about 2.5 times.
• It heralds the return of USB Type-A in Macs, but retains a bunch of Thunderbolt ports.

When Apple first released hardware with custom Arm processors, it focused on performance as a value proposition, and in fact, it's doing something Qualcomm and Microsoft can't: compete with Matches Intel's performance. But these original products—the Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro—all had the same chassis as their predecessors.

With products like the 24-inch iMac and now the Mac Studio, we're actually seeing new designs that take advantage of new processors. Remember, this really has nothing to do with performance. It's more about performance per watt, changing the power envelope. PCs can be much smaller due to changes in cooling requirements and Apple's ability to put the entire device on a single chipset instead of a CPU and a huge graphics card.

This is what we get from Mac Studio. The product measures 7.7 inches by 7.7 inches, so it takes up exactly the same desk space as a Mac Mini. It's 3.7 inches tall, compared to the Mac Mini's 1.4 inches, so it's about two and a half Mac Mini units on top. This is a mini computer by any standards, but it's not mini-capable by any standards. Intel’s NUC 12 Extreme measures 14.1×7.4×4.7 inches.

If you had told me five years ago that I could get this much performance in such a small package, I would have said it was impossible because until recently, it no.

It also weighs 7.9 pounds. If you're looking for an Intel-powered PC with a desktop processor like the Core i9-12900 and RTX graphics, you won't find one that weighs less than 20 pounds.

Ports Are Back

It's been a long time since I said there's no shortage of ports on Apple devices, but here we are. There are four Thunderbolt 4 ports on the back, along with two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports. There's also a 10Gbps Ethernet port, HDMI, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Thunderbolt 4 port supports USB4 for 40Gbps data transfer speeds, or you can connect dual 4K monitors to one. Alternatively, you can connect a 6K monitor to each of the four Thunderbolt ports and add a fifth via an HDMI port.

No matter which processor you choose, the total number of supported monitors is five. If you have a device with an HDMI port (like a Mac Mini), the total was two in the original M1 and one without it.

Interestingly, the 3.5mm audio jack is located on the back. This tells me that Apple plans to let you use it with external speakers, not headphones. The earphones should follow the iPhone route, that is, use Bluetooth earphones like AirPods. The Mac Studio does have a built-in speaker, which is nice. It won't win any awards, but it gets the job done.

On the front, there are also two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an SD card reader. These front-facing ports are for quick access to things you might pull out frequently, like SD cards. This is the headphone jack you'd expect if it were actually for headphones. Note that if you choose the M1 Max, these front-facing ports are not Thunderbolt. They're just regular old USB Type-C ports.

The silver design is silver, minimal, oh, and so is Apple. It feels like the perfect design as the subtle look it conveys makes the show feel bolder.

Performance: The M1 Ultra is great, but you'll know if you need it

The M1 Ultra is powerful, especially for multi-threaded workloads.

• It's quiet, you'll never hear the fan spinning.
• At the outset, I want to be clear that there are no reliable artificial benchmarks that can prove the power of any

Apple Silicon chip. You'll see a lot of Geekbench scores thrown around (and you'll see that here too), but it's important to remember that Geekbench is just a CPU test. In some ways, Intel completely beats all Apple Silicon in Geekbench testing.

However, Apple’s M1 series of processors also include custom graphics, unified memory, and more. Apple has a complete package designed with parts designed to work together, each component enhancing the others. Cupertino takes full advantage of its unique situation of owning the entire stack, from hardware to software.

Before we get into those benchmarks, let’s talk about the old 8K video rendering test. I shot the same set of 8K 30fps video clips we used in our 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Max) review and exported them to the M1 Ultra. It took 11 minutes and 43 seconds using Adobe Premiere Pro and 1 minute and 22 seconds using DaVinci Resolve. By comparison, the M1 Max in a MacBook Pro took 21 minutes and 11 seconds in Premiere Pro. Of course, Adobe isn't quite as good on Apple Silicon yet, and you'll get better results from DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro.

Benchmarks show that the real benefit is in multi-threaded performance

Now, let’s talk about the Geekbench 5 and Cinebench R23 scores. Both are CPU tests, but while they hardly tell the whole story, they can give us some context and possibly help you determine which Apple Silicon you need.

Processor	Apple M1 Ultra Chip 20-core CPU, 16 performance cores And 4 efficiency cores 48-core GPU 32-core neural engine 800GB/s memory bandwidth
Memory	64GB unified memory
Hard drive	1TB solid state drive
Ports	Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, support: Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s) DisplayPort USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) Two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s) HDMI Port 10Gb Ethernet 3.5mm Headphone Jack Front (M1 Ultra): Two Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40Gb/s) s) SDXC card slot (UHS-II)
Video support	Supports up to five monitors simultaneously: Via USB- C Supports up to four Pro Display Digital video output supports Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C Supports Thunderbolt 2, DVI and VGA output using adapter (sold separately) HDMI Display video output Uses HDMI To DVI adapter (sold separately) supports one monitor with resolutions up to 4K, 60Hz DVI output
	3.5 mm headphones Jack, advanced support for high-impedance headphones HDMI port supports multi-channel audio output
	802.11ax Wi- Fi 6 Wireless Network IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Technology Ethernet 10Gb Ethernet (using RJ -45 connector supports Nbase-T Ethernet for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet)
	Width: 7.7 inches (19.7 cm) Depth: 7.7 inches (19.7 cm) Weight (M1 Ultra): 7.9 lbs (3.6 kg)
	Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz, single phase Maximum Continuous Power: 370W Operating Temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C) Storage temperature: –40° to 116° F (–40° to 47° C) Relative humidity: 5% to 90% non-condensing Operating altitude: Tested up to 16,400 feet ( 5000 meters)
	Power cord

Product	Geekbench Single Core	Product	Geekbench Multi-Core
HP OMEN 45L (Core i9-12900K)	1,921	Mac Studio (M1 Ultra)	23,778
CLX Ra (Core i9-11900K)	1,803	HP OMEN 45L (Core i9-12900K)	15,723
Mac Studio (M1 Ultra)	1,776	Intel NUC (Core i9-12900)	13,355
MSI Raider GE76 (Core i9-12900HK)	1,774	MSI Raider GE76 (Core i9-12900HK)	12,630
Intel NUC (Core i9-12900)	1,767	HP OMEN Desktop 30L (Core i9-10900K)	10,933
MacBook Pro (M1 Pro)	1,755	MacBook Pro (M1 Pro)	9,954
iMac (M1)	1,740	iMac (M1)	7,676

##ProductCinebench Single CoreProductCinebench Multi-CoreHP OMEN 45L (Core i9-12900K)1,894Mac Studio (M1 Ultra)24,095##MSI Raider GE76 (Core i9-12900HK)Intel NUC (Core i9-12900) Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 2 360 (Core i7-1260P)Mac Studio (M1 Ultra)

Looking at these two CPU tests, it's clear that the biggest benefit you get from the M1 Ultra is multi-threaded performance. This is especially true when you compare it to other Apple Silicon chips that offer the same unified memory benefits. If you compare the M1 Ultra's single-core scores to a regular old M1, there's not much difference. Remember, these are based on the same chip, so it makes sense.

Mac Studio can accept anything you throw at it, except games.

Like I said, these benchmarks are not a correct snapshot of system performance, but they should give you an idea of ​​what kind of Mac you need. The Mac Mini with the M1 processor is perfect for the vast majority of users. If you want power, there's Mac Studio with M1 Max. When you get into M1 Ultra territory, you should understand that this is something that less than 1% of users will need, or even take advantage of.

The biggest drawback is that you can't run Windows locally. Honestly, with the power of the M1 Ultra, I'd be tempted to use Boot Camp to install Windows on Arm and run some AAA games, even with the x64 emulation provided by Windows 11. I tried doing this in Parallels but the game couldn't be installed.

But instead, this is a machine focused on anything from high-end 8K video rendering to 3D modeling. Anything that does a lot of tasks simultaneously, like anything with the word "rendering" in its name, will benefit from the extra cores and threads in this 20-core CPU and 48-core GPU. And since we're not focusing on gaming (just don't buy a Mac for gaming), we can easily say that this is best-in-class for the types of use cases that can take advantage of it.

The bottom line is, if your work would benefit from an M1 Ultra or even an M1 Max, you probably already know that. If you do, then all you need to know is that this is top-notch.

It's cooler than you think

That's just the way it is. If you told me five years ago that you had a machine this powerful and it could fit in such a big case, I would have told you it would melt. Thanks to Arm processors, we can get higher performance per watt to support these types of designs.

1,833	HP OMEN 45L (Core i9-12900K)	23,659
1,806	Intel NUC (Core i9-12900)	16,316
1,649	HP OMEN Desktop 30L (Core i9-10900K)	15,266
1,534	MSI Raider GE76 (Core i9-12900HK)	14,675

##亚洲Adobe Premiere ProAdobe Premiere Pro Lightroom

##Multi-threading performance is M1 Where the Ultra really shines is that you still won't hear any noisy fans.

At idle, the M1 Ultra seems to be hanging around 38 degrees. When I ran the same 8K export in Premiere Pro I talked about above, it was closer to 60 degrees, and then when I added import and export in Lightroom with about 1,900 images, it hit close to 80 degrees.

The really crazy thing is you can’t even hear the fan on. There are some powerful Intel-based PCs that feel like you're working next to a jet engine. The thing went completely quiet. It's just one of those things that feels like it shouldn't be possible, and that's because not that long ago, it wasn't.

Because no product is suitable for everyone, but this is especially true for Mac Studio. Most people shouldn't buy this. Most people who see this will be better off using a Mac Mini.

Who should buy Apple Mac Studio:

People with intensive, multi-threaded workflows

• Editing at high resolutions, high frames Creators who rate videos
• Rendering 3D models or designers using CAD
• Customers who want a lot of power in an incredibly small package

Who should not buy an Apple Mac Studio:

Users who want a machine that increases productivity

• Gamers
• Casual users

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