I tried Mac Studio M3 Ultra of 15,000 euros: This is madness

For several days at my table it lies Car worth almost 15,000 eurosThe field is a new Mac Studio with 32 -fake Ultra Chip, 512 GB of single memory (RAM, for friends) and 8 TB of the internal storage. 14,674 euros if you want the exact figure of the Apple configurator.

More than one He will bring his hands to his head, reading this figureThe field is normal. But this is not a team for the general public. Mac Studio was conceived by thinking about a very demanding professional environment. And in this segment, this configuration indicates the top of the pyramid: those who literally need the most powerful Mac in history.

Surprisingly, in any case, this is not the price of this Mac studio, which accompanies me – ordinary in this type of computers. Everything else. That is: productivity that can be delivered and, above all, how he doesThe field because yes, this is an extremely powerful team. But what flies to your head is how it provides such a great performance that supports absolute silence and, above all, with such a small size. He literally approaches one of the drawers of my table – and with the weak. But this is not where I obviously placed it. Mac Studio is made to be seen. Its aluminum chassis Targetperfectly symmetrically and in which each element was placed on a millimeter is ideal for any Tune professional. It’s nice to have it in sight.

The situation contrasts with the classics Working stations With whom this Mac should compete. This equipment is usually built into plastic, puts it off aesthetics, takes up much more space, and their cooling systems are often activated – in addition to a rather audible one. This, by the way, I say this with knowledge of the reason. At home we have teams of this type from the profession of my partner. And what a horror. The contrast is cruel when I watch my TuneThe Mac fantastic studio controlled these days, and then I compare it with his, a few centimeters.

All this, in any case, is important, but not vital. Who is looking for Mac Studio, first of all, a high level of performance. And how is this new version in this regard?

Mac Studio Performance

It is very difficult quantitatively assess how powerful it is the machine, like Mac StudioThese commands are designed for very complex professional environments, in which software optimization or work that will be created is developed to name two variables, significantly affecting the final result. The simplest example for understanding is video games. Be that as it may, this is Mac Studio, a PC with a state graphic processor NVIDIA, and the last Intel chip will undoubtedly reach better performance. Instead, the same thing does not necessarily happen when editing the video.

The best way to homogenize these tests is through TestsBut They even have prejudices in different testsThe field, therefore, is the key to the twists, which are settled later.

He said in the other way: The fact that Mac Studio receives a 50% higher result in Geekbench does not mean that its processor is 50% higher in all tasks. In some interest there will be more, while in others it will be lower. In the same way, if the graphic processor is lower in these Tests For some recent NVIDIA model, it does not have to be in all areas. It is possible that this is fantasy rendering videos, but not so many when you start video games. AND TestsAlthough they align the fields, they do not tell this story.

What specifications did Mac Studio try?

The device that Apple sent for this analysis is the most advanced – with the exception of the internal storage. As the lines say above, Its cost is about 15,000 euros And he has the following elements:

• M3 ULTRA with 32 Core CPU, 80 -feed graphic processor and 32 Neural.
• 512 GB of single memory.
• 8 TB of the internal storage SSD.
• Two Tuncherbolt 5 Teawners, four rear ports Tuncerbolt 5, two USB-A ports, an HDMI connector, 10 Gbit / s portHernet port and high impedance sheep.
• Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3 and read the SDXC card.

Effective performance

In Mac Studio with the Ultra M3 chip You can “quit” everything you wantA field and your performance will always fly on your head. Premiere Pro, After Effects, Maya … I could not put the car against ropes. Even the implementation of several of these demanding tasks at the same time.

The main part of the time, in addition, The fan remained illegibleIn some cases, the field came into action, but with such a subtle sound that it does not become annoying. This is not magic; This is the fruit of the work that Apple has been optimizing, energy efficiency and even the shape of the fans for years (so that they sound less).

The team too It has 6 Thunderbolt 5 ports with a transfer speed of 120 Gb / s This, on the one hand, they allow you to connect external accessories that require a huge bandwidth or, if you prefer, up to five external monitors (from four from 6 to 60 Hz and one 4K at 144 Hz).

In the field of communication, the only thing that attracts attention is Lack of Wi-Fi 7The connection, which is offered in some brand products, such as the iPhone 16 Pro.

Yes, Mac Studio is sold with M4 Max, why not be with M4 Ultra, and instead, one is sold with M3 Ultra?

This is a millionth question. AND Apple did not provide specific details, in addition to the recognition that not all M “MPs will have an ultra -model. Insufficient answer, obviously.

Ultra M3, simplified, The merger of two m3 max in the same chipThe field if you compare the specifications, one by one, you will see how this chip has twice as many CPs, a graphic processor, a neural engine, etc. The nucleus, etc. This tactic is not new. For years, the brand used it in Ultra Series processors for years and even developed a specific technology for this “merger” SOC.

The use of m3 max as a basis for creating Ultra M3 implies that Some of the improvements of the new generation (M4) are not present in this chipThe field and the best example of this is that Nuclei From the processor analyzed individually, they are less powerful than that of the M4 Max. Therefore, in tests such as GeekbenchThe result of the test on the mononucle is lower.

In multinuk tests, however, The situation is differentThe Ultra M3 nucleus field is less strong, yes, but they have much more to their honor. Therefore, when the combination of SOCats at the same time, Ultra M3 is able to provide higher performance than the M4 Max.

This dynamics is reproduced to a greater or lesser extent for all elements that make up the SOC: GPU, processor, etc. M4 Max is more advanced, but Ultra M3 literally has a doubleThe field and this makes it crowned as the most powerful processor of the current Apple catalog, despite the fact that it is not the most vanguard.

The dream of the most ambitious, obviously, would be that Apple used the M4 Max base to create Ultra M4The field, that is: combine all the improvements of the new generation with the confluence of the two SOC in one. In this case, performance would be even higher. But for some reason – production capital, technical difficulties, etc. – this is not what happened.

Is it worth making M4 Max to M3 Ultra?

Although Ultra M3 is the most powerful chip of the catalog, doubt arises from whether the performance in the performance that means, and not twice as much as in other generations, justifies the additional payment. My opinion is that it depends. And here I refer to the above lines above: each workflow is a completely different world.

Nevertheless, I can make the first approach in the general form based on various performance tests that I have completed. Processor jumping below (from 10% to 15% in Multiple Geekbench), while the GPU has a step forward thanks to the largest number of nuclei (about 40% improvement). With this in mind, now answer the questions: does your work process depend on the processor or graphic processor? And how relevant is the leap in relation to the price?

A Updates From memory, as always, they are excessively expensive

And I’m not talking about unified memory (equivalent of RAM in commands with windows), but in the internal storage of SSD. Apple charges 2750 euros for moving from Mac Studio from 1 TB storage of one with 8 TBThe field is not the first level of SSD as a result of performance and 8 TB costs of this price. Not even suitable.

This is not new, true. Apple charges for memory increases much more than they really stand on the marketThe field so, whoever sought to purchase Mac Studio, my recommendation is to buy a version that best corresponds to their needs, and just use a very fast Thunderbolt 5 to connect high -performance external memories. Your pocket will appreciate this.

Extraordinary machine, especially in its economic versions

Mac Studio, as a rule, Dream teamThe field is small, with an excellent design, quiet and wild performance. No one offers such a combination of virtues.

Now: although a shortcut of 15,000 euros mentioned above is amazing, I think where this team really shines in its lower configurations. For example: Mac Studio with the most powerful maximum, 128 GB of single memory and 512 GB of storage costs 4404 euros. Combined price-disjection.

The same thing if we go to even cheaper versions. The access option with the main maximum, 36 GB of single memory and 512 GB of storage costs 2529 euros. And again, His performance is impressive in relation to the money that the brand asks for him.