The new Apple Mac Studio has just got a serious buff in power – while it’s updated with the M4 Max silicon, the other option is the new M3 Ultra chip with borderline insane specs, and by the looks of it, Mac Pro is definitely due for an update.
Apple Mac Studio ft. M4 Max & M3 Ultra
If your processor of choice for the new Mac Studio is M4 Max, here’s what you’ll get: 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, plus a Neural Engine over 3x faster than M1 Max. You can also option it with up to 128GB of unified memory, plenty for large projects like multi-track audio compositions and high-resolution image processing. The media engines of the new chip can support up to 18 concurrent 8K ProRes video streams and 5 display outputs.
For those who wants absolute maximum power available, there’s the new M3 Ultra option with some truly face-melting numbers: 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 32-core Neural Engine, with up to a staggering 512GB of unified memory and up to 16TB of SSD storage, all big and powerful enough to fit among the largest LLMs (large language models) you can throw at it.
The M3 Ultra chip, like all the Ultra chips that came before it, is the result of literally fusing two M3 Maxes together via Apple’s proprietary UltraFusion interconnect, which means you effectively get double the capabilities, like 8 6K display outputs and 22 simultaneous 8K ProRes playbacks. All of that is packed into a chassis less than 20cm long and 10cm tall, which is truly mind-blowing stuff.
While the M4 Max version will feature 4 Thunderbolt 5 ports at the back, and 2 standard USB-C (10Gbps) ports at the front, the M3 Ultra version will see all six USB-C ports using the Thunderbolt 5 standard, which provides up to 120Gb/s bandwidth via the standard’s asynchronous “Bandwidth Boost” mode. You also get an SDXC slot, two USB-A ports, 10GbE LAN, HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone jack to round up the I/O.
The new Mac Studio will be available for order through Apple’s online store, the Apple Store app, and authorized resellers. Pricing starts at RM8,999 for the M4 Max variant, with the M3 Ultra version starting at RM17,999.
Pokdepinion: M3 Ultra is truly face-melting stuff.
