New Mac Studio: Confusion Over Chips and Prices Up to EUR17,624

The recent launch of the latest Mac Studio has sparked significant interest among users and industry analysts alike. Apple's decision to introduce a new model featuring two generations of its Silicon chips simultaneously has raised eyebrows, particularly as the older M3 Ultra chip appears to outperform the newer M4 Max model. This development has led to questions about the various configurations and pricing options available.

Initial insights reveal that the M3 Ultra chip outperforms the M4 Max. This performance boost can be attributed to the M3 Ultra's dual-chip configuration, utilizing Apple's proprietary UltraFusion technology. This advanced interconnect system allows two M3 Max chips to operate together, achieving an impressive interprocessor bandwidth exceeding 2.5 TB/s while maintaining low latency. Thus, the M3 Ultra presents itself as a single chip to software, a feature consistent with previous Mac Studio models like the M2 Ultra and M1 Ultra.

In contrast, the M4 Max is available only as a singular System-on-Chip (SoC), lacking the UltraFusion connections that facilitate the enhanced capabilities of the Ultra variant. This raises intriguing possibilities about future products, such as the anticipated new Mac Pro. Speculation exists regarding whether the upcoming model will also incorporate the M3 Ultra or if Apple plans to wait for the next-generation M5 chip.

Apple has claimed that the M3 Ultra operates at nearly double the speed of the M4 Max, despite being an older generation chip. The advantages of the M4 Max, which can offer 20 to 30 percent more performance depending on the workload, seem negligible when the M3 Ultra operates in its dual-chip mode. A comparison shows that the M4 Max features 16 CPU cores versus 32 in the M3 Ultra, and 40 GPU cores compared to 80 in the M3 Ultra. The Neural Engine also reflects a similar disparity, with the M4 Max having 16 cores against 32 in the M3 Ultra. Furthermore, the memory configurations available for the M3 Ultra are considerably broader, supporting up to 512 GB of RAM compared to the 128 GB maximum for the M4 Max, although the memory bandwidth increases from 546 GB/s to 819 GB/s.

Examining the configuration options for the Mac Studio reveals that it is positioned as a high-end professional product. The base model with the M4 Max starts at EUR2,499, while the M3 Ultra begins at EUR4,999. The standard configurations include 36 GB and 96 GB of RAM, along with 512 GB and 1 TB SSD storage, which appear limited given the price point. Notably, all models come equipped with Thunderbolt 5 technology.

The top-tier configuration for the M4 Max reaches EUR7,374, featuring 16 CPU cores, 128 GB of combined RAM, and an 8 TB SSD. In comparison, the M3 Ultra's maximum configuration is priced at an astounding EUR17,624, offering 32 CPU cores, 512 GB of combined RAM, and a 16 TB SSD. It is worth noting that a Kensington lock is not included with these high-end models.