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The caller Mac Studio's main upgrade is its chip, moving from the M2 Max and M2 Ultra to the M4 Max and M3 Ultra. Compared to its predecessor, the caller Mac Studio is up to 75% faster with 2x faster graphics. It besides present features up to 512GB of representation of 16GB of storage, arsenic good arsenic Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.
See the breakdown beneath for each caller feature, change, and betterment that was added with the latest Mac Studio compared to its predecessors:
| Apple M1 Max oregon M1 Ultra chip | Apple M2 Max oregon M2 Ultra chip | Apple M4 Max oregon M3 Ultra chip |
| M1 Max: 10-core CPU (8 show cores, 2 ratio cores)
M1 Ultra: 20-core CPU (16 show cores, 4 ratio cores) |
M2 Max: 12-core CPU (8 show cores, 4 ratio cores)
M2 Ultra: 24-core CPU (16 show cores, 8 ratio cores) |
M4 Max: Up to 16-core CPU (12 show cores, 4 ratio cores)
M3 Ultra: Up to 32-core CPU (24 show cores, 8 ratio cores) |
| M1 Max: Up to 32-core GPU
M1 Ultra: Up to 64-core GPU |
M2 Max: Up to 38-core GPU
M2 Ultra: Up to 76-core GPU |
M4 Max: Up to 40-core GPU
M3 Ultra: Up to 80-core GPU |
| Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | ||
| AV1 decode | ||
| M1 Max: 16-core Neural Engine (11 TOPS)
M1 Ultra: 32-core Neural Engine (22 TOPS) |
M2 Max: 16-core Neural Engine (15.8 TOPS)
M2 Ultra: 32-core Neural Engine (31.6 TOPS) |
M4 Max: 16-core Neural Engine (38 TOPS)
M3 Ultra: 32-core Neural Engine (76 TOPS) |
| M1 Max: Video decode engine
M1 Ultra: Two video decode engines |
M2 Max: Video decode engine
M2 Ultra: Two video decode engines |
M4 Max: Video decode engine
M3 Ultra: Two video decode engines |
| M1 Max: Two video encode engines
M1 Ultra: Four video encode engines |
M2 Max: Two video encode engines
M2 Ultra: Four video encode engines |
M4 Max: Two video encode engines
M3 Ultra: Four video encode engines |
| M1 Max: Two ProRes encode and decode engines
M1 Ultra: Four ProRes encode and decode engines |
M2 Max: Two ProRes encode and decode engines
M2 Ultra: Four ProRes encode and decode engines |
M4 Max: Two ProRes encode and decode engines
M3 Ultra: Four ProRes encode and decode engines |
| M1 Max: 32GB oregon 64GB memory
M1 Ultra: 64GB oregon 128GB memory |
M2 Max: 32GB, 64GB, oregon 96GB memory
M2 Ultra: 64GB, 128GB, oregon 192GB representation |
M4 Max: 36GB, 48GB, 64GB, 128GB memory
M3 Ultra: 96GB, 256GB, oregon 512GB memory |
| M1 Max: 400GB/s representation bandwidth
M1 Ultra: 800GB/s representation bandwidth |
M2 Max: 400GB/s representation bandwidth
M2 Ultra: 800GB/s representation bandwidth |
M4 Max: Up to 546GB/s representation bandwidth
M3 Ultra: 819GB/s representation bandwidth |
| 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, oregon 8TB SSD storage | M2 Max: 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, oregon 8TB SSD storage
M2 Ultra: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, oregon 8TB SSD storage |
M4 Max: 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, oregon 8TB SSD storage
M3 Ultra: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB, oregon 16TB SSD storage |
| M1 Max: Four Thunderbolt 4 ports and 2 USB-C ports
M1 Ultra: Six Thunderbolt 4 ports |
M2 Max: Four Thunderbolt 4 ports and 2 USB-C ports
M2 Ultra: Six Thunderbolt 4 ports |
M4 Max: Four Thunderbolt 5 ports and 2 USB-C ports
M3 Ultra: Six Thunderbolt 5 ports |
| HDMI 2.0 port | HDMI 2.1 port | HDMI 2.1 port |
| Support for up to 4 Pro Display XDRs and 1 4K display | Support for up to 8 4K displays, six 6K displays, oregon 3 8K displays | Support for up to 8 4K displays, 8 6K displays oregon 4 8K displays |
| 3.5mm headphone jack | 3.5mm headphone jack with precocious enactment for high-impedance headphones | 3.5mm headphone jack with precocious enactment for high-impedance headphones |
| 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 | 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6E | 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Released March 2022 | Released June 2023 | Released March 2025 |
Only those 2022 Mac Studio users who consistently propulsion their machines to the bounds with tasks similar 3D rendering, video editing successful precocious resolutions, instrumentality learning workflows, oregon large-scale bundle improvement should see upgrading to the 2025 model. The 2025 Mac Studio introduces a sizeable leap successful performance, peculiarly with the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, offering substantially amended GPU performance, much almighty GPUs with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a importantly faster Neural Engine, and enactment for up to 512GB of representation and Thunderbolt 5. These improvements dramatically amended workflows that request utmost parallel processing, faster representation access, oregon broader outer show setups. If your existent 2022 Mac Studio ever feels similar a bottleneck, oregon if you are preparing to enactment with progressively analyzable projects implicit the adjacent fewer years, the upgrade is apt to beryllium worthy it. However, for users whose workloads stay good wrong the capabilities of the M1 Max oregon M1 Ultra, particularly those focused connected little GPU-intensive tasks, the gains whitethorn not warrant the outgo astatine this time.
Upgrading from the 2023 Mac Studio to the 2025 exemplary is apt to beryllium worthy it for acold less users, simply due to the fact that the show gains, portion important connected paper, volition marque little of a real-world quality for astir professionals already utilizing the M2 Max oregon M2 Ultra spot due to the fact that the 2023 exemplary is inactive exceptionally capable. However, determination are a fewer borderline cases wherever the upgrade whitethorn beryllium justified—particularly for users moving with section ample connection models oregon intensive AI workloads, wherever the vastly improved Neural Engine successful the M4 Max oregon M3 Ultra tin connection large benefits. Similarly, users who trust connected highly precocious representation capableness oregon bandwidth, oregon those gathering systems astir Thunderbolt 5 and AV1 decode support, mightiness spot tangible improvements that warrant the cost. Still, for the immense bulk of users, particularly those successful video production, app development, oregon wide pro workflows, the 2023 Mac Studio remains much than capable for the foreseeable future, making the 2025 upgrade much of a luxury than a necessity.
The 2022 and 2023 Mac Studio models are inactive precise overmuch worthy buying, particularly if recovered refurbished oregon second-hand astatine a bully price. Both models connection fantabulous show that remains highly competitory adjacent successful 2025, with the M1 Ultra and M2 Ultra inactive delivering important CPU and GPU power, precocious representation bandwidth, and dedicated media engines that easy grip demanding tasks similar video editing, euphony production, 3D rendering, and bundle development. While they deficiency newer features similar Thunderbolt 5, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, oregon the enhanced Neural Engine show recovered successful the 2025 models, those are mostly beneficial lone to users with precise specific, future-facing workloads. For astir professionals and powerfulness users, particularly those upgrading from Intel Macs oregon basal M1 systems, the 2022 and 2023 models stay an outstanding value—and often correspond the champion equilibrium betwixt show and outgo erstwhile purchased refurbished oregon pre-owned.
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This article, "Mac Studio Buyer's Guide: All Models Compared" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com
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