Apple Mac Studio (M2 Ultra) review

Trade in Apple Mac Studio (M2 Ultra)

(Image credit: Future – Joel Burgess)

APPLE MAC STUDIO (M2 ULTRA): TWO-MINUTE REVIEW

The original Mac Studio, featuring Apple’s first proprietary processors, marked a significant milestone in Apple’s desktop lineup, showcasing the potential of Arm chips in a consistently powered system that outperformed many other available options. In 2023, Apple introduced an update to this creative professional desktop, incorporating the M2 processor. This upgrade is designed to deliver robust performance, aiming to power not only the Mac Pro but also the new lineup of Mac Studio devices.

The M2 processors bring enhancements in performance, expanded memory capacities, and improved memory bandwidth. Additionally, the Neural Engine has undergone upgrades to handle the translation of non-native MacOS programs into RISC language and manage the workload of AI processing tasks.

Positioned above the Mac Mini but priced more affordably than the Mac Pro, the 2023 Mac Studio caters to users seeking a powerful desktop PC. The M2 Max variant starts at a reasonable $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,299. Of particular interest is the higher-performing M2 Ultra configuration, available from $6,599, which offers the same processor, Unified Memory allocation, and SSD as the notably more expensive entry configuration of the Mac Pro, making it a compelling option.

(Image credit: Future – Joel Burgess)

Intel and AMD have made concerted efforts to surpass Apple’s M2 processors with their latest generation of chips. While the Mac Studio may not match the unique high performance of the previous generation, both M2 configurations still exhibit improvements of up to 20% in CPU benchmarks and over 40% in gaming framerates compared to the M1 Mac Studio devices. Some applications are further optimized, leading to even more substantial enhancements beyond these baseline processor improvements.

For users with workflows demanding additional memory, enhanced processing power, or frequent use of graphically intensive applications, the Mac Studio offers added power over the top-tier Mac Mini. Considering the power-to-price ratio, the Mac Studio stands out as an exceptionally good value PC. Its sleek desktop design minimizes space requirements, operates quietly, and can significantly reduce power costs for users engaged in intensive work tasks. With a well-rounded port selection and the latest wireless connectivity options, the M2 Max and M2 Ultra Mac Studio configurations leave little to be desired.

APPLE MAC STUDIO (M2 ULTRA): PRICE, AVAILABILITY AND SPECS

The base Mac Studio features the M2 Max chip, similar to the one found in the top-tier MacBook Pro, with some differences such as a GPU with fewer cores. However, users can upgrade the GPU to match the MacBook Pro offering for an additional $200 / £200 / AU$300.

This entry-level Mac Studio is equipped with 32GB of memory and a 512GB SSD, delivering a powerful configuration for the overall price of $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,299. Users have the flexibility to upgrade to 64GB of RAM and up to 8TB of storage, with the 1TB storage and 64GB memory upgrades being reasonably priced for those seeking more than the base configuration.

For users aiming to elevate their device to workstation status, the M2 Ultra configuration is available starting at $3,999 / £4,199 / AU$6,599. This model begins with 64GB of Unified Memory and a 1TB SSD, expandable to a maximum of 192GB of total memory and an 8TB SSD. The pricing is structured based on specific work requirements, making it competitive in the enthusiast gaming and custom workstation PC realms, especially when compared to the starting Mac Pro configuration.

While the reason for relatively high prices in the UK isn’t precisely clear, it is likely influenced by different local product taxes.

• Price and specs: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future – Joel Burgess)

APPLE MAC STUDIO (M2 ULTRA): DESIGN

The 2023 Mac Studio retains the same extruded aluminum chassis as its predecessor, maintaining the distinctive appearance of a pair of Mac Minis stacked on top of each other. Interestingly, the M2 Ultra chips leverage the UltraFusion technology found in the original Mac Studio (M1 Ultra), allowing two M2 Max processors to be combined without a significant loss of performance from each chip—effectively creating a Mac Mini sandwich.

While there are some compact desktop PCs on the market with comparable performance, such as the Intel NUC 13 Extreme Raptor Canyon, they often come at a similar price to an entry-level Mac Studio. The Mac Studio’s footprint is just under 20cm squared with a height of 9.5cm, resulting in an impressively compact 3.8-liter volume for a system of its power. To provide context, the Intel NUC 13 Extreme Raptor Canyon, one of the most compact off-the-shelf PCs available, is 3.5 times larger than the Mac Studio overall. Additionally, the Mac Studio’s lower power draw compared to x86-based PCs contributes to more manageable heat levels, resulting in quieter fan operation for a system of its compact size.

(Image credit: Future – Joel Burgess)

The Mac Studio now features a higher bandwidth HDMI port, supporting 8K or 240Hz displays, and has the capability to connect up to six Pro Display XDR screens. With updated Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 compatibility, it offers faster connectivity compared to its predecessors. The SSD has been upgraded to the latest generation PCIe connections, delivering read and write speeds of 7,000 and 5,759 MB/s, respectively.

Connectivity options are comprehensive, catering to the needs of Mac users who often rely on Thunderbolt/USB-C ports. For users with non-Apple devices, there’s an Ethernet port, SD Card reader, HDMI, and two USB Type-A sockets. Additionally, the Mac Studio comes equipped with a built-in speaker for situations when external speakers are not connected.

• Design: 5/5 

APPLE MAC STUDIO (M2 ULTRA): PERFORMANCE

The Mac Studio we evaluated featured an M2 Ultra with 24 CPU cores and 76 GPU cores, paired with 128GB of Unified Memory and a 4TB SSD, retailing for $10,799. While it demonstrates substantial power, outperforming an Intel Core i9-13900K CPU by up to 25% on Geekbench 5, it falls behind the same chip by up to 20% in other benchmarks like Cinebench R23. The CPU performance aligns more closely with Intel and AMD offerings in the enthusiast gaming space, rather than replicating the standout performance seen with the M1 Ultra. Nevertheless, for creators seeking a powerful machine for tasks like video editing, this Mac Studio variant offers more than sufficient power.

Comparing the Mac Studio to a MacBook Pro 16 (M2 Max 38-core GPU), the doubled core count resulted in a modest 58% graphical performance improvement on synthetic benchmarks, with both devices delivering similar framerates in some gaming applications. Notably, there was a substantial performance leap from the previous year’s 64-core Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra), achieving 40% better scores on synthetic benchmarks and up to 80% improved gaming performance, as per our testing.

(Image credit: Future – Joel Burgess)

In terms of graphical performance, the 76-core GPU on the Mac Studio (tested variant) is approximately on par with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (notebook), as indicated by synthetic benchmark results. However, if used for gaming, the actual performance is likely to be notably lower, with frame rates ranging from 64 to 90 frames per second on titles like Sid Meier’s: Civilization VI and Total War Saga: Troy at Ultra 1080p settings, respectively. It’s important to note that current graphically intensive games may not be well-optimized for the Mac Studio, resulting in lower performance.

An advantage of Apple’s Unified Memory architecture is direct GPU access to memory, which proves beneficial for certain creative workflows. Moreover, the Mac Studio equipped with the most powerful M2 Ultra has a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 90W, which is 35W lower than the base power consumption of the desktop Intel Core i9-13900K. When factoring in the power consumption of a discrete GPU, the Mac Studio is expected to consume two or even three times less power than a similarly performing PC.

• Performance: 4.5/5

SHOULD YOU BUY THE APPLE MAC STUDIO (M2 ULTRA)?

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APPLE MAC STUDIO (M2 ULTRA) REVIEW: ALSO CONSIDER

Source: Techradar