The Mac Studio review unit Apple sent us is one of the most powerful you can buy, packing the beefiest M1 chip yet made, so I expected it to deliver some impressive performance in my hands-on testing.

However, in other tests it was upstaged by the competition.

M1 Ultra blew past the competition in Geekbench multi-core CPU tests.

Both are handy to have and allow you to plug USB-C accessories into the front of the Studio, but Thunderbolt 4 ports are more versatile and more capable (in terms of bandwidth, transfer speeds, support for multiple displays, etc) than USB-C ports.īetween the SD card reader, the USB-A/USB-C ports and the Thunderbolt 4 ports you've got just about everything you need to use the Studio for work and play. Studios with M1 Max chips have USB-C ports on the front, whereas M1 Ultra models get the Thunderbolt 4 ports. On the front you’ll find an SDXC card reader, as well as a pair of either USB-C or Thunderbolt 4 ports. It’s over twice as heavy, too: a Mac Studio with M1 Max weighs about 5.9 pounds, while the M1 Ultra model is a hefty 7.9 pounds, due in part to the extra weight of the material Apple uses to cool the more powerful chip. It has the same 7.7 x 7.7-inch base, but at 3.7 inches in height it’s over two inches taller than the mini. The Mac Studio’s brushed aluminum chassis looks like a taller, bulkier Mac mini.

Tapered base aids airflow, makes the Studio appear to float.

Looks good on a desk, like a taller, heavier Mac mini.

To buy the same Studio direct from Apple would cost you roughly $6,199. Our review unit arrived outfitted with a maxed-out M1 Ultra (20-core CPU, 64-core GPU), as well as 128GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. The storage is again expandable, up to 8TB ($400 - 2,200). The entry-level model is $3,999, and for that you get an M1 Ultra with a 20-core CPU, a 48-core GPU and a 32-core Neural Engine, as well as 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.įor $4,999 you can buy an upgraded model with a 64-core GPU, and you can pay an extra $800 to double the memory pool up to 128GB.

If you want a Studio with one of the new M1 Ultra chips, which are effectively two M1 Max chips joined into one mega-chip, it’s going to cost you quite a bit more. The Mac Studio is launching alongside Apple's new Studio Display, seen here hooked up to a Mac Studio with a Magic Keyboard, Trackpad and Mouse in a matching black-and-silver color scheme.

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