Mac Studio 2023 on M2 Ultra is Apple’s most powerful PC ever.It has comparable performance to the Mac Pro, advanced cooling system, smaller dimensions and this cheaper computer.
What’s cool about Mac Studio 2023?
This Mac received a compact case (like 2 Mac minis), an advanced cooling system that just occupies half of the case, and at the same time power consumption does not exceed 150 watts.And in Mac Pro, on average, 200-300 watts, and at the peak up to 700 watts.
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A huge number of wired interfaces front and back, which allows you to work normally.This is what is missing in Apple Macbooks now, even for the Pro version I buy more hubs.
The only disappointing thing about Mac Studio is the package bundle – only rag power cable.Everything else (keyboard, mouse, trackpad, acoustics and monitor) will have to be purchased separately.
What’s new in Mac Studio 2023?
The design of the computer is identical to the previous generation, except that the model in 2023 is different – A2901.
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Supports three 8K monitors, six 6K monitors, and eight 4K monitors
3.5mm audio jack now supports high-end headphones.Wi-Fi 6e is used, the main thing is that your router has support for this standard, then the data transfer speed will be really faster.
New M2 Ultra chip.In the top configuration, this is 24 cores of the processor part, 76-core graphics and a 32-core neural engine and 192 GB of combined memory, and before only 128 GB was available.
And with an 8 TB SSD drive, such a computer cost $ 8,800.By comparison, the previous favorite Mac Pro started at $6,000 in the base configuration, while the top-end version cost nearly $53,000.
Geekbench, Cinebench, Blender, Speedometr tests
We will compare the performance in tests with the Mac Pro 2019 in the average configuration (at a price 2 times more expensive than the Mac Studio in the top).
We will compare on an external display Apple Pro Display XDR at 32 inches and 6K resolution.And this directly affects the performance in graphics.
Let’s start with SSD tests.In sequential reading, Mac Studio is twice ahead of Mac Pro, but in random reading and writing, the “grater” (i.e. Mac Pro) is already breaking out.
Do not forget that in Mac Pro, like many other components, SSDs can be upgraded, although the maximum configuration is the same – 8 GB SSD.Yes, and the disks themselves are specific to Apple, you can’t put some kind of “left” disk in the Mac Pro.
Tested processor part of Geekbench 6.Mac Studio on M2 Ultra is again almost twice as fast as Mac Pro with 16-core 32-thread Xeon.
IN graphics test with API Metal the M2 Ultra processor shows a strong lead in points – 219 thousand versus 133 thousand.
Here it is necessary to make an important remark.In the Mac Pro on Intel, with which we are comparing, there is not just a 32 GB AMD Radeon Pro Vega 2 video card, but 2 MPX modules of 32 GB each, connected by an Infinity fabric link jumper.In unoptimized software, which is what synthetic benchmarks are, second video card not working.
IN Cinebench R23 test in single-core and multi-core mode, the Mac Pro lags a bit.
Chased and 3 scenes Blender benchmarkand in all predominantly on the side of the M2 Ultra chip.
IN Speedometr test (this is an online benchmark that runs a web application) Mac Studio is two times ahead.
Heat, noise, cooling system
A total of 86 degrees is the maximum I got with Mac Studio maxed out.At the same time, the fans worked at idle (1000 rpm).The maximum mode is 3500 rpm for each of the fans, but in real conditions you will not be able to load the computer like that.
86 degrees is a lot, but all Apple computers are configured to sacrifice temperature in favor of quiet operation.
In fact, Intel processors did not fall off during long-term use with high heating from 90 to 105 degrees, the main thing is to change the thermal paste in time.
The Mac Studio kernel loads evenly.In terms of power consumption: under load, there is an average of 100 watts, at the peak up to 150 watts.Let me remind you, in Mac Pro from 200 to 700 watts.
Tests Unreal Engine 5, Xcode, Logic, Final Cut
In the Unreal Engine 5 test, we check the graphics component of the M2 Ultra chip.Max Studio is the first machine to beat the top-end Mac Pro on a 6K display.
Put together a test project xcode with many third party libraries.The test results are affected by the power of the processor part and the amount of combined memory.The top M2 Ultra set a new record – less than 50 seconds.But at the same time, in general, Apple Silicon chips are good, and the gap is not so big as to overpay for a top-end solution.That is, the result is not proportional to the funds spent.
Test in Logic Pro it is also demanding on the processor part and the amount of combined memory.Thanks to the M2 Ultra chip, support for 192 GB has appeared.And it’s the first machine to beat the Mac Pro by a huge margin.
Installation test in final cut.We drove a very heavy 8K file in the best beta quality along the timeline.Tracking analysis speed is record-breaking.
Who needs Mac Studio?
Did the Mac Studio on an Apple Silicon chip outperform the old Mac Pro on Intel?Yes, both in terms of performance and energy efficiency.
What Apple desktops lack is modularity.In Mac Pro, the processor, RAM, SSD, video card can be upgraded, and there will still be free PCI-e slots.In Mac Studio or Mac Pro with M-series chips, the upgrade is not possible at all.
In general, Apple should focus on attracting third-party developers, optimizing their software for Macs so that everything works correctly, including attracting game studios, which should port their games to Mac in the first place.
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