The M3 Ultra has up to 32 CPU cores (24 P-cores, 8 E-cores), up to 80 GPU cores, and a 32-core Neural Engine, which is still a big bump over the M4 Max despite the slightly older chip design.
The $3,999 base model starts with 28 CPU cores (20 P-cores, 8 E-cores) and 60 GPU cores, 96GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. This model can be upgraded to 256GB of RAM for $1,600 (!). You could also upgrade to the fully-enabled M3 Max for $1,500, which unlocks the 512GB RAM upgrade for $4,000 (!!). Any of these models can be configured with up to 16TB of storage. A fully-loaded M3 Max Studio will run you over $14,000.
Apple
The front of the Mac Studio. The M4 Max version has two 10Gbps USB-C on the front, while the M3 Ultra version has Thunderbolt 5 ports.
Apple
Apple
You get the same ports on both the M4 Max and M3 Ultra Studios, including four Thunderbolt 5 ports.
Apple
The front of the Mac Studio. The M4 Max version has two 10Gbps USB-C on the front, while the M3 Ultra version has Thunderbolt 5 ports.
Apple
You get the same ports on both the M4 Max and M3 Ultra Studios, including four Thunderbolt 5 ports.
Apple
Both Mac Studio models have four 120 Gbps Thunderbolt 5 ports, a 10 Gbps Ethernet port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and an audio jack on the back. Both also include two ports and an SD card reader on the front. On the M4 Max version of the Studio, these are 10 Gbps USB-C ports. On the M3 Ultra version, they’re also 120 Gbps Thunderbolt 5 ports. Externally, they’re identical to Apple’s previous Mac Studios. The Ultra version also remains two pounds heavier than the Max version, thanks to a more robust heatsink inside.
The new Mac Studios go up for preorder today and will be available starting March 12, the same date as Apple’s new M4 MacBook Airs. Apple didn’t update or mention the Mac Pro desktop, which still uses the M2 Ultra chip and still starts at $6,999. But “questioning Apple’s continued commitment to the Mac Pro” is status quo for Mac desktop buyers at this point.
