Mac Studio 2023: what’s new inside the pro-level Mac?
Things to know before emptying your wallet for the freshest Mac Studio
At this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple unveiled the Mac Studio 2023 in addition to a new laptop, the MacBook Air 15in. It keeps the same appearance as its powerful predecessor, but there’s a few changes beneath the hood.
The original Mac Studio was the first (and only) product to feature an Apple M1 Ultra system-on-a-chip (SoC). The newer Mac Studio looks like a highly capable device with more power than the Mac mini, but not quite at the level of the Mac Pro. Like the Mac mini, the Mac Studio doesn’t ship with extras like a keyboard, mouse, or touchpad. It also requires purchasing or adding a monitor, such as Apple’s Studio Display, which launched with the original Mac Studio.
Mac Studio is available to order now, with availability beginning on Tuesday 13 June. There’s a few more things to consider though before emptying your wallet for the freshest Mac Studio.
Mac Studio 2023: what’s changed?
Say hello to the M2 Ultra
Apple equipped the Mac Studio 2023 with either the M2 Max or M2 Ultra, depending on personal preference. The M2 Max also found on the latest MacBook Pro models (14-inch and 16-inch, 2022), boasts over 10 billion more transistors than the M1 Max and more than triple the amount found on the M2.
The M2 Ultra made its debut at WWDC 2023. Besides the Mac Studio, the M2 Ultra is available on the Mac Pro 2023. The M2 Ultra, the largest chip Apple has ever created, was made using a second-generation 5-nanometer process. Apple’s UltraFusion technology was used to combine two M2 Max chips, resulting in a performance that is twice as powerful. The M2 Ultra itself provides 134 billion transistors, 20 billion more than what’s found on the M1 Ultra.
Performance
When comparing models, this new Mac Studio holds a maximum CPU capacity of 24 cores (up from 20), and a GPU capacity of 76 cores (up from 64). Additionally, the maximum unified memory has increased from 128GB to 192GB. The storage capacity remains unchanged however, with the old and new models maxing out at 8TB. The company offers a 32-core Neutral Engine on both models, with up to 800GB/s memory bandwidth.
Given the name, it’s no surprise that the Mac Studio is being geared toward the more creatively minded. A boosted performance output vs previous generations will help the Mac Studio perform up to 50 percent faster, claims Apple.
For creatives, this translates to a 50% speed increase in After Effects, and 25% faster performance in Xcode. For 3D artists, Apple says that rendering in Octane will be up to 3x faster, with a 50% boost to video processing in DaVinci Resolve. Until we can get our hands on a unit we can’t test those claims, but they certainly sound impressive.
Improved displays
A few other changes between the new Mac Studio models extend beyond the SoC. The Mac Studio 2023 now supports up to eight 4K displays, six 6K displays, or three 8K displays. Apple limited the earlier model to up to four Pro Display XDRs and just one 4K display.
In another update, the Mac Studio 2023 also offers a 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones and now supports 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
Mac Studio 2023: what hasn’t changed
Despite massive changes on the performance front, this year’s Mac Studio is strikingly similar to the original model, which isn’t necessarily bad. This starts with the ports.
As you can see above, the newer Mac Studio supports more displays. And yet, the ports available on the machine haven’t changed. The M2 Max, like the M1 Max version, includes four Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the M2/M1 Ultra features six Thunderbolt 4 ports. These ports aren’t just good for connecting awesome displays. You can also use them with storage devices and docking stations. Better still, you’ll get high-speed data transfers.
Elsewhere, the M2/M1 Max versions continue to offer two USB-C ports on the front of the device, which offers data transfer speeds of up to 10Gb/s. By contrast, the M2/M1 Ultra versions have two Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40Gb/s) on their front. Both models also have an SDXC card slot on the front that you can use to transfer data from camera memory cards.
Other ports include an HDMI, DisplayPort, 10Gb Ethernet, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), and the previously mentioned 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Like the previous model, the Mac Studio 2023 also supports the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad.
Finally, and not surprisingly, this year’s Mac Studio Is identical to the last one in terms of size and weight, measuring 9.5 by 19.7 by 19.7cm and weighing 2.7 kg (M2 Max) and 3.6 kg (M2 Ultra).
Mac Studio 2023: prices
Apple didn’t raise the starting price of the Mac Studio. The Mac Studio 2023 costs $1,999/£2,099, the same as the previous model.
If you go all-in and want a new Mac Studio with all the bells and whistles available, you’ll be paying $1,799 more this time. For $8,799/£8,999, you would get a Mac Studio with an M2 Ultra chip featuring a 23-core GPU, a 76-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. The model also has 192GB of unified memory and 8GB of storage.
Beyond these changes, the two Mac Studios are the same. Depending on your budget and overall preferences, now might be a great time to find last year’s model for a lot less. Before deciding, check out the spec differences, which are substantial in certain respects — but not in others.
Bryan M. Wolfe
