Apple Mac Studio M4 Generation Introduces the M3 Ultra as Its Top Chip
Apple’s Mac Studio compact desktop system has less upgrade cycles than laptops, but more frequent than Mac Pro, which makes sense considering the Pro’s business target audience is growing – but like all Apple computers, the design remains the same for a long time before it’s refreshed. So no surprise, the new 2025 Studio looks exactly like Original released in 2022 (and 2023 successor). All changes are internal and upgraded to M4 Max and M3 Ultra processors that provide support for Thunderbolt 5 and more memory.
as well as MacBook Airs Launched with the studio, bookings start today and shipping begins on March 12. Enter configuration pricing remains the same, starting at $1,999, although the base (M4 MAX) configuration has more memory (36GB vs. 32GB). Ultra’s memory is 96GB and the maximum is 512GB.
Mac Studio chip specifications
| Apple M4 Max | Apple M3 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Chip configuration (CPU/GPU core) | 14/32 or 16/40 | 28/64 or 32/80 |
| Performance Core | 10/12 | 20/24 |
| Efficiency core | 4 | 8 |
| Neuroengine Movement | 16 (Second Generation) | 32 (first generation) |
| Peak Memory Bandwidth (GBPS) | 410 | 800 |
| MAC Studio Memory Configuration (BASE/MAX, GB) | 36/128 | 96/512 |
Still no M4 Ultra chips – Ultras is essentially the largest chips for two links, and since there is no M3 Ultra, Apple just takes advantage of the longer lead times available with the older M3 Max. However, Apple will still update it to support Thunderbolt 5. Like its predecessor, the M3 Ultra has a maximum value of twice the maximum Thunderbolt port, as the two linked M3 generation chips have their own controller: This means that the two front ports are the largest configuration of USB-C, while the Ultras’ Thunderbolt.
A large amount of kernels and memory is to improve the performance of applications that require them – creative and local AI training / using larger models etc. It’s worth noting that the M3 Ultra may make the studio’s top configuration more powerful than the Mac Pro still on the M2 Ultra. While there are more M3 Ultra cores, the M4 Max is their faster and more efficient version. I think the M3 Ultra will still be faster overall, but it will be interesting to see how much it costs. The test will be explained.
Watch the following: The new M4 MacBook Airs and M3 Ultra Mac Studio are coming soon!
