Apple Unveils Enhanced Mac Studio with Cutting-Edge M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips

Apple has officially launched updated versions of its Mac Studio, now powered by the groundbreaking M4 Max and the brand new M3 Ultra chips. This latest iteration of the Mac Studio is meticulously designed for creative professionals such as video editors, engineers, photographers, and developers.

First introduced in 2022 with the M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips, the Mac Studio has now evolved to offer significant enhancements in performance for a variety of demanding tasks including 3D rendering, video editing, and code compiling.

The baseline model comes equipped with the M4 Max chip, which features a configurable 14-16-core CPU, a 32-40-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Standard memory starts at 36GB of unified RAM, upgradeable to a whopping 128GB, backed by 546GB/s bandwidth. Storage options start at 512GB, extending up to 8TB.

On the other hand, the M3 Ultra chip offers even more power, featuring a 28-32 core CPU, a 60-80-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. The higher-end Mac Studio now kicks off with 36GB of unified memory (increased from 32GB) and can be configured to an astonishing 512GB (with an 800GB/s bandwidth) - a milestone in personal computing. Buyers can also expand storage to up to 16TB.

Apple boasts that the M3 Ultra models deliver 1.8 times faster CPU performance and 2.6 times the GPU rendering speed compared to the previous M1 Ultra models. Additionally, the M3 Ultra Mac Studio is capable of processing large language models (LLMs) containing over 600 billion parameters entirely in memory.

In terms of video workflow, the new Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra supports up to 24 streams of 8K ProRes video playback and offers comprehensive support for H.264, HEVC, and ProRes encoding and decoding. The device can also connect to up to 8 displays for an expansive multitasking experience.

Both the M4 Max and M3 Ultra models are generously equipped with four Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports at the rear, with the M3 Ultra adding two more on the front. Additional ports include two USB-A ports, one HDMI 2.1, one 10GB/s Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with a UHS-II SDXC card reader on the front. Wireless connectivity standards are Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The pricing for the new Mac Studio with M4 Max starts at $1,999, while the M3 Ultra model begins at $3,999. The highest-tier configuration featuring 512GB of RAM and 16TB of storage is priced at an impressive $14,099. Pre-orders have already opened, with shipping expected by March 12.

For more details, visit the Mac Studio configurator page.