Apple has recently unveiled its latest powerhouse desktop, the Mac Studio, now equipped with the advanced M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. This update brings significant enhancements to performance, connectivity, and overall user experience.
Design and Build
The new Mac Studio maintains its compact and sleek design, measuring 9.5 cm in height and 19.7 cm in both width and depth. This space-efficient form factor allows it to fit comfortably on most desks, making it a practical choice for professionals with limited workspace. Despite its small size, the Mac Studio is engineered to handle intensive tasks while remaining whisper-quiet, thanks to its innovative thermal system.
Performance Upgrades
At the heart of the Mac Studio are Apple’s latest chips: the M4 Max and the new M3 Ultra. The M4 Max features a 16-core CPU, a 40-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, delivering substantial improvements in processing and graphics performance. For those requiring even more power, the M3 Ultra offers an impressive 32-core CPU, an 80-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine, making it Apple’s most powerful chip to date. These advancements enable the Mac Studio to handle demanding workflows with ease, from video editing to 3D rendering.
Connectivity Features
The Mac Studio offers extensive connectivity options to accommodate various professional needs. Both M4 Max and M3 Ultra configurations include Thunderbolt 5 ports, providing data transfer speeds of up to 120 Gbps. Specifically, the M4 Max model comes with four Thunderbolt 5 ports, while the M3 Ultra model is equipped with six. Additional ports include USB-A, HDMI, and a 10Gb Ethernet port, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of peripherals and network configurations.
Memory and Storage
The Mac Studio‘s memory and storage capabilities are designed to meet the demands of high-performance computing. The M4 Max model starts with 36GB of unified memory, configurable up to 128GB, while the M3 Ultra model begins with 96GB, expandable up to a massive 512GB. This substantial memory capacity ensures smooth multitasking and efficient handling of large datasets. Storage options are equally impressive, with SSD configurations ranging from 512GB to 8TB for the M4 Max, and from 1TB to 16TB for the M3 Ultra, providing ample space for extensive project files and applications.
Conclusion
The updated Mac Studio represents a significant leap in desktop computing, offering professionals a compact yet powerful machine capable of tackling the most demanding tasks. With its advanced M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, extensive connectivity options, and flexible memory and storage configurations, the Mac Studio is poised to meet the evolving needs of creative and technical users alike. Pricing starts at $1,999 for the M4 Max base model and $3,999 for the M3 Ultra base model. Both configurations are available for order now, with official availability beginning March 12.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | M4 Max | M3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Cores | up to 16-core | up to 32-core |
| GPU Cores | up to 40-core | up to 80-core |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 32-core |
| Unified Memory | up to 128GB | Up to 512GB |
| Storage | up to 16TB | up to 16TB |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 5, USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, Headphone Jack | |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | |
