Apple Mac Studio M4 Max review: A creative powerhouse

Mc Studio is Apple’s ultimate performance computer, but this year’s model has come with a turning point: it’s equipped with M4 Max or M3 ultra -processor. The latter looks like one step back, because now almost all Max (other than Mac Pro) are now equipped with M4 chips. However, M3 ultra is really Apple’s best performing processor, making the new Mac Studio the fastest computer.

Although the M3 ultra model looks extremely worthwhile for creative profession and engineers, it starts at 000 4,000 and goes Method From there I am interested in the model that is based on the benchmark I saw somewhere else. However, the M4 Max model I received for this review is what most people want, because the base sequence is half the price. Working like video editing or designing games for power users, this is Mac’s Mac, and this is also a reasonable contract according to Apple’s standards.

Hardware

The design of the Mac Studio has not changed since the original M1 ultra version since 2022. This is not a bad thing because the age of aesthetics is good and the desk is very short. This is about the size of the two old MacMunis (who has recently been decorated before the update) has been decorated with each other and has the same polished aluminum case. Everything has a premium feeling, even environmentally friendly packaging and flexible power cable.

The front, an SDXC card slot that supports the UHS-II speed (300 MB/S), as well as a pair of 10Gbps USB-C ports (they are Thunderbolt 5 on the M3 ultra version). Around the back, you will find four Thunderbolt 5 ports that now offer 15GB/S. Throw Pitt (Capital B), three times faster with the Thunderbolt 4 of the 2023 Mac Studio. All this is enough to connect plenty of disk drives, monitors and perry fryals.

Within it, the M3 ultra version is allegedly exceeding 32 core CPUs, which is eight more than Mac Studio M2 ultra. The GPU comes with the 80 core, which is another record for the Apple Silicon, as well as the 32 -core neural engine for the on -device AI and machine learning. Unified memory starts at 96GB and extends to 16TB of 512GB (with Bandout up to 819 GB/S) and 16TB of SSD storage. With maximum elimination of all these items, Mac Studio costs to raise hair 14,099.

Steve Dent for Anggate

The M4 Max model is more modest but still impressive. Top and Configure comes with 16 -core CPU and 40 -core GPU, which is more than 546 GB/S from united memory bandout and up to 8 TB. These sunglasses are very closely straight with MacBook Pro M4 Max but at a lower price anyway. At the basic price of $ 1,999, you get 14 core CPUs, 32 core GPU and 16 core neural engine. All M4 Max models start with a decent 36GB Unified memory, though my test unit has been formed with a maximum of $ 3,699 with a maximum of 128 GB.

There is no upgrade after processor, memory and storage purchases, so you will want to choose wisely when ordering. This is a challenge in itself, because the Apple system is not very flexible with the formation of the system. For example, the twenty $ 1,999 14-Core M4 M4 Max Mac Studio can be formed with only 36GB of RAM. If you want more, you need a 16 -core version that automatically collide up up to 48GB of memory and increases the price by $ 500.

I would say that the latter option is a sweet position in $ 2,499, which gives you a faster processor and most content creation envelope enough unified memory. Engineers and other people seek even more performance M3 ultra version, as it allows up to 512GB of RAM and puts two additional thunderbolt 5 slots in front.

In use: a rockets for material creators

For the Magnan Alfonso Anggate

With M4 Max, Mc Studio mostly destroyed the artificial benchmark, in which we have shown the most single -core gack bench 6 CPU score for any PC. This Multure Gack Bench comes down exactly the Mac Studio with M2 ultra on 6 tests. Even this single -core performances defeat the latest Mac Studio M3 ultra, although it is leading by this model in a multi -core test. The GPU scores are similarly impressive and we have seen to this day with the speed of writing up to 8GB/Sec.

However, the best way to evaluate such a machine is to feed it some content creation jobs and see how quickly it chews through them. Video editing is a tough test for most machines, so I tried the Premier Pro and Divanki commitment with a mixture of 4K, 6K and 8K video (RAW and MP4) to challenge it.

M4 Max’s raw and 10 -bit H.264 or H.265 files are not easily operated in their native formats thanks to the ability to decide on the fly. It was still able to handle the real -time playback of the same layer of 8K video with color correction and was struggled only when I tried to play two or more 8K video track at the same time. Overall, it provides a smooth and malfunctional modification experience that enables electricity users to perform work faster.

Encoding is equally fast. It took me a minute and 51 seconds to output a 3.5 -minute timeline in 4K with the same mixture of 4K, 6K and 8K footage using GPU. For the sake of comparison, my McBook Pro with the M3 Pro processor raised twice in four minutes and 10 seconds.

Mc Studio showed the same ability with the Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, which also modified the sharp and fluid for even raw images, which were 100 MB or more. Note that when the GPU-or CPU works, such as video encoding, fan kicking and chassis may be hot, but this is not often the case. In any case, the large size of the Mac Studio and the big fan provides better thermal performance than McMoney.

To test the AI ​​capabilities of the machine, I fired a 75 -minute pod cast through Apple’s whispers tool and took a minute and 32 seconds to convert it into a text. The latest MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro processor took two minutes and 11 seconds for the same work, and my MacBook Pro M3 Pro did this in three minutes and thirty -seven seconds.

In the upper part of the content creation, I played Baldor’s Gate IIIA game that holds moderate demands on the PC. Mc Studio depended on the task, which provided a smooth gameplay in high settings and 1440p resolution (though this studio monitor was somewhat limited to the Animic 60Hz refresh rate). I once again saw that the Mac Studio had become hot and fans kicked during the gaming session. Nevertheless, GPU’s performance surpassed most PCs, except for high -end GPUs, based on the immediate comparison of our recent tests and gack bench database. For this purpose, the only thing that restricted the Mac Studio as a gaming machine is a sports ware selection for Macos.

Should you buy a Mac Studio?

Steve Dent for Anggate

Contemporary creators may wonder if they need to spread to the Mac Studio, or if any Mac Money will work. Nevertheless, you can get a Mac Money M4 Pro with 24GB Ram instead of Mac Studio M4 Max and leave only one Thunderbolt 5 port and 12GB Unified memory, which can save $ 600.

If you regularly edit 4K (or more) videos or offer 3D graphics (or play games play), you will be better than Mac Studio. Low demand for jobs, Mac Money will be sufficient. Mac Studio M3 Ultra is a completely animal, which has the ability to have additional core and high memory that is aimed at engineers or AI developers. , 000 4,000, it is mostly excessive for each. Mac Pro is also present, but it is so expensive that it’s really just for studios and large companies, ie Mc Studio is now high -end Mac for most professionals.

This article was originally published on Enoget