They look the same, both are impressive, but one Mac Studio configuration costs twice as much as the other. We tested the differences between the M1 Ultra and M1 Max versions.
Two machines, both equal in dignity - and both have a lot to offer professionals in the creative, scientific and engineering industries. However, there are some key differences, and it's not just that one costs twice as much as the other.
If you have the budget for a Mac Studio with an M1 Ultra, it's worth checking out as it can handle your workload now and will hopefully handle your workload well into the future. Still, there are some considerations that could push its cost beyond its base $3,999.
But for that price, you can buy two basic Mac Studio machines with M1 Max. If you work in a team, that can be a tempting option - though only if the performance is good enough.
It's mostly about the performance and speed of the processor working for you, but it's also about how the machine fits into your workflow.
|
Mac Studio with M1 Max |
Mac Studio with M1 Ultra |
| Base Price |
$1,999 |
$3,999 |
##Memory | 32GB, expandable to 64GB | 64GB, expandable to 128GB |
CPU | 10 cores | 20 cores |
Graphics Processor | 24 Cores | 48 Cores |
Neural Engine | 16 Cores | 32 core |
SSD | 512GB | 1TB |
Front port | 2 USB-C, 1 SDXC | 2 Thunderbolt 4, 1 SDXC |
Rear ports | 4 x Thunderbolt 4 ports , 2 x USB-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x 10GB Ethernet, 1 x 3.5mm headphone | 4 x Thunderbolt 4 ports, 2 x USB-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x 10GB Ethernet, 1 x 3.5mm earphone |
Beyond Processor Selection
The obvious difference between the two base versions of Mac Studio recommended by Apple is the processor inside them. But there's more.
If you buy the base Mac Studio with the M1 Max, you get in part:
- 32GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 2 USB-C front ports
And if you buy the Mac Studio with M1 Ultra, these three specs will change to:
- 64GB RAM
- 1TB SSD
- 2 Thunderbolt 4 front ports
You can upgrade the base M1 Max version to 64GB RAM for $400, then go from 512GB for $200 SSD upgraded to 1TB SSD. This will raise the price to $2,599.
Different front ports may affect which model you buyThat’s $1,400 less than the base M1 Ultra version. So buying a second Mac Studio is no longer enough, but it still helps a lot with buying a new Studio Display.
What you cannot change is the front port. Whether they're USB-C or Thunderbolt 4, having them on the front like this is a real boon.
This means it's more convenient when your workflow requires you to repeatedly add and remove external storage or cameras, etc. Turning the machine doesn't seem difficult, but it can easily become so if the ports on the back are filled with short cables.
Apple Mac Studio
That convenience is the same whether it’s a USB-C port on the front or a Thunderbolt 4 port. The difference is the data transfer speed. If you are doing a broadcast operation, the speed difference may be important to you.
Perhaps most of the time, though, for most people with the most workflows, the speed difference in this area won't be noticeable. Or, if it were, it wouldn't matter.
And local storage, a 512GB SSD in the base M1 Max version, might be.
This is debatable as there are many workflows that could use 512GB. This may be because the files and documents being processed are not very large, or they are very temporary.
This may be because the mass storage is simply located far away from your WAN connection.
However, those who find 512GB won't be bogged down by Final Cut Pro, sucking up every byte of available space. There are some things you can do to mitigate this, including using an external drive for everything.
But having more internal storage will make life easier, even if you don't think you're making complex or lengthy videos.
As for RAM, we've had unified memory for long enough now that we know Apple is right and you can do more with less. This unified memory is excellent compared to regular RAM.
However, it's also limited, and if there's one thing that's pushing the limits, it's the kind of high-volume, high-resolution, and perhaps fast workflow that Mac Studio is built for.
The issues with RAM and SSD storage are the same as Mac Studio with M1 Ultra. Except the base model comes with 64GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage, which is probably enough for most users.
However, you do get more benefits in terms of RAM when you buy the M1 Ultra version. This is your option with 128GB RAM.
It will cost you another $800, but it’s an option you don’t get on the M1 Max version.
Benchmarks
After we got both machines in the studio, we ran them through a series of benchmarks, testing everything from Geekbench to 8K video export. The two we picked are both basic models, one paired with the M1 Ultra and the other with the M1 Max.
Starting with our browser testing, we run the Speedometer benchmark from BrowserBench to test a machine's ability to run web applications. The M1 Max runs at 293 beats per minute, while the M1 Ultra runs at 292 beats per minute. When considering the margin of error, it's actually the same.
Geekbench 5 results on Mac StudioIn Geekbench 5, our M1 Max Mac Studio scored 1798 single-core and 12822 multi-core. The M1 Ultra variant scored a similar single-core score of 1786, but an impressive multi-core score of 23778. This is because of the difference between the 10-core M1 Max and the 20-cores in the M1 Ultra.
Cinebench revealed similar numbers. The M1 Max version scored 1535 and 12389 in the single-core and multi-core R23 tests respectively, while the M1 Ultra scored 1535 and 24210 in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively.
Affinity Photo now has its own benchmark that tests vector performance and raster performance on the CPU, testing both the CPU and GPU. We mainly looked at the combined CPU and GPU scores. The M1 Max has a CPU score of 947 and a GPU score of 22537. The M1 Ultra has a CPU of 1879 and a GPU of 33668.
Geekbench’s Computational Graphics test echoes these results. When running on Metal, the Geekbench 5 Compute test scored 60629 on the 24-core M1 Max GPU and 91938 on the 48-core M1 Ultra GPU. The M1 Ultra graphics card is about 50% more powerful.
Ungine Heaven is starting to look a little dated, it's still running under Rosetta rather than natively on an Apple chip, but we can still see the difference in how these machines handle these graphics. When this gaming-specific benchmark was run, the M1 Max averaged 94 frames per second, scoring 2371, and maxed out at 186.4. The M1 Ultra averaged 102 FPS, scored 2584, and topped out at 187 FPS.
These max out at about the same frame rate, but the M1 Ultra scores slightly higher and maintains a slightly higher frame rate throughout.
Blackmagic Disk Speed ResultsWhen testing the built-in storage, our 512GB SSD on the M1 Max achieved write speeds of 4629.7MB/s and read speeds of 5180.3MB/s in the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test Take speed. That's down from the 1TB module in our M1 Ultra machine, which got 5163.2 MB/s write speeds and 5226.8 MB/s read speeds. The larger the SSD, the faster it is, so keep this in mind when choosing a storage configuration.
In Final Cut Pro, we exported multiple videos and saw varying degrees of performance differences. Unless you're doing very high-end productions, you probably won't see a huge difference in video performance even with the additional encoding and decoding engines on the M1 Ultra.
When exporting a one-hour 4K video as "Apple Compatible," both machines finished in nearly the same time, 18 minutes. When we exported a 16-minute-long uncompressed 4K video in Apple ProRes, the M1 Ultra took 1 minute 14 seconds and the M1 Max 1 minute 30 seconds. As you continue to increase the resolution and complexity of your video, the gap between the two machines will widen.
We tried exporting uncompressed 8K video from Apple ProRes, and the M1 Max took 5 minutes and 5 seconds, while the M1 Ultra took 4 minutes and 42 seconds.
It really comes down to the processor
However, the two considerations that ultimately influence your choice between these models are the processor and cost. We won't know until the Mac Studio is released and put through real-world testing, but the M1 Ultra version will definitely be faster than the M1 Max, to say the least.
Then there is the problem of the media engine. The M1 Max has a video decoding engine, two video encoding engines, and two ProRes encoding and decoding engines. Because the M1 Ultra is actually two M1 Max chips, it has two video decoding engines, four video encoding engines, and four ProRes encoding and decoding engines.
This depends a lot on what you are going to use the machine for. None of this matters if you are a photography-centric user. If you're a videographer, they absolutely will.
Leaked benchmarks show that the M1 Ultra beats the top-performing Intel Mac Pro.
Where you come from matters
Apple may be bringing some switchers to the Mac for the first time thanks to Mac Studio. But it's likely that most users already use a Mac, and the Mac they use will influence their choice of Mac Studio.
Perhaps you're at a company where you and many of your colleagues rely on an entire line of Mac Pro machines. In this case, the M1 Ultra is the best choice. You could switch to it now and maybe sell off the Mac Pro line.
Alternatively, you can transition to Mac Studio by swapping out the odd Mac Pro if you wish.
Similarly, you can currently use a Mac mini. If you are, then it's likely because your typical workflow and workload aren't that high that you're compelled to switch to a Mac Pro.
Switch to Mac Studio with M1 Max. It's better and faster, you'll feel the difference right away, and it's probably performant enough that you'll have room to expand your workflow for years to come.
If Mac Pro and Mac mini are at the extremes, those in between are using an iMac, iMac Pro, or MacBook Pro.
Mac Studio with M1 Ultra will definitely beat them all, but Mac Studio with M1 Max might as well.
It’s hard to quantify your current workflow, and even harder to compare it to someone else’s. If there's one thing high-end Mac users in media, science, and other industries have in common, it's that workflows have changed.
Maybe you have periods of feast or famine, but overall, workflow tends to increase. This means that in an ideal world, everyone would just use Mac Studio with an M1 Ultra.
In the real world, however, most of the time, the M1 Max version will probably be enough for most people.
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