The Mac Studio is a small-form-factor workstation developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is one of four desktop computers in the Mac lineup, sitting above the consumer-range Mac Mini and iMac, and positioned below the Mac Pro. It is configurable with either the M2 Max or M2 Ultra system on a chip.[1][2]

Mac Studio
DeveloperApple Inc.
Product familyMacintosh
TypeCompact desktop
Workstation
Release dateMarch 18, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-18)
Introductory price$1999 (current M2 Max model)
$3999 (current M2 Ultra model)
Operating systemmacOS
System on a chipApple M-series
MemoryUp to 192 GB (unified LPDDR5)
StorageUp to 2x Apple-proprietary 8 TB NVMe solid-state drive
Removable storageFull-size SDXC
ConnectivityUSB 4, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
PowerUp to 370 W (max continuous)
Dimensions7.7 inch (20 cm) by 7.7 inch (20 cm)
Depth: 3.7 inch
Marketing targetProfessional use
PredecessoriMac Pro
RelatedMac Mini, Mac Pro
Websiteapple.com/mac-studio

Overview

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The Mac Studio was announced on March 8, 2022, alongside the Apple Studio Display, and released on March 18. At the time of launch, customers reported shipping delays for the Mac Studio as late as May 2022. The delay has been attributed to the global chip shortage.[3][4]

 
Rear ports

The Mac Studio is designed as a higher-grade machine than the Mac Mini but lower than the Mac Pro, and is positioned similarly to the now-discontinued iMac Pro.[5][6] There are two models which are driven by ARM-based SoC: the M1 Max or the M1 Ultra, which combines two M1 Max chips[7] in one package.[8] The Mac Studio has an identical width and depth to the Mac Mini, both about 7.7 inches (200 mm), but is around 3.7 inches (94 mm) tall. It has four Thunderbolt 4 (USB 4) ports, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, HDMI (up to 4K @ 60 Hz), 10Gb Ethernet with Lights Out Management[9] and a headphone jack. The front panel has two USB-C ports (Thunderbolt 4 in M1 Ultra models) and an SD card slot (that supports SDXC cards and UHS-II bus), making it the first desktop Mac since the 2012 Mac Pro to have I/O on the front. It is cooled by a pair of double-sided blowers and a mesh of holes on the bottom and back of the case, which helps reduce the noise of fans spinning.[10] Nevertheless, there have been extensive early reports of excessive fan noise.[11]

Mac Studio models with the M1 Ultra are 2 pounds (910 g) heavier than those with the M1 Max as they are equipped with a larger copper heat sink.[12] Apple says the Mac Studio performs 50 percent faster than a Mac Pro with a 16-core Intel Xeon processor.[10]

The Mac Studio supports up to four 6K monitors connected via Thunderbolt, and a fifth monitor via HDMI.[13] It was introduced alongside the Apple Studio Display, a 27-inch 5K monitor with an integrated 12 megapixel camera, six-speaker sound system with spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support and a height adjustable stand.[10]

On June 5, 2023, during WWDC, Apple introduced updated Mac Studio models based on the M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips. Updates include Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6E, the capability of running up to six 6K monitors, and support for 8K displays over Thunderbolt and HDMI.[14]

Repairability

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A Mac Studio with Studio Display, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad in an Apple Store

Mac Studio has two removable flash storage ports, with one or two of them in use, the latter in models with 4 or 8 TB of storage.[15] While it is possible to swap the flash storage card between same size models, with an Apple Configurator restore,[16][17] upgrading is not supported. Some reviewers have criticized this decision as unfriendly for right to repair, while Ars Technica notes this limitation may be due to the design of Apple silicon that implements the SSD controller into the system on a chip rather than the drive itself for encryption purposes.[18] The positioning of components such as the SSD beneath an exposed power supply has also been criticized.[19][20]

Specifications

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Discontinued Current
Model 2022[21] 2023[22]
Initial release operating system macOS 12 Monterey macOS 13 Ventura
Latest release operating system macOS Sequoia 15.2
Cooling system Dual-fan cooling system with aluminum heat spreader attached on processor Dual-fan cooling system with copper heat spreader attached on processor Dual-fan cooling system with aluminum heat spreader attached on processor Dual-fan cooling system with copper heat spreader attached on processor
Processor
Chip Apple M1 Max Apple M1 Ultra Apple M2 Max Apple M2 Ultra
Technology node 5 nm (N5) 5 nm (N5P)
CPU
Total Cores 10 20 12 24
High-performance cores 8 x Firestorm 16 x Firestorm 8 x Avalanche 16 x Avalanche
Energy-efficient cores 2 x Icestorm 4 x Icestorm 4 x Blizzard 8 x Blizzard
Clock speed 3.23 GHz, 2.06 GHz 3.69 GHz, 2.42 GHz
Online configuration
Cache
L1 cache

High-performance cores: 192 KB L1i, 128 KB L1d
Energy-efficient cores: 128 KB L1i, 64 KB L1d

Shared L2 cache High-performance cores: 24 MB
Energy-efficient cores: 4 MB
High-performance cores: 48 MB
Energy-efficient cores: 8 MB
High-performance cores: 32 MB
Energy-efficient cores: 4 MB
High-performance cores: 64 MB
Energy-efficient cores: 8 MB
System level cache 48 MB 96 MB 48 MB 96 MB
GPU
Name Apple G13C Apple G13D Apple G14C Apple G14D
GPU family Apple GPU Family 7 Apple GPU Family 8
Total cores 24 or 32 48 or 64 30 or 38 60 or 76
EUs and ALUs 96 (3072) or
128 (4096)
192 (6144) or
256 (8192)
120 (3840) or
152 (4864)
240 (7680) or
304 (9728)
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing No
Metal support Metal 3
Online configuration 32-core GPU (From 24-core GPU) 64-core GPU (From 48-core GPU) 38-core GPU (From 30-core GPU) 76-core GPU (From 60-core GPU)
Neural Engine 16-core Neural Engine
(11 TOPS)
32-core Neural Engine
(22 TOPS)
16-core Neural Engine
(15.8 TOPS)
32-core Neural Engine
(31.6 TOPS)
Unified memory
Type 512-bit LPDDR5 3200 MHz (409.6 GB/s) 1024-bit LPDDR5 3200 MHz (819.2 GB/s) 512-bit LPDDR5 3200 MHz (409.6 GB/s) 1024-bit LPDDR5 3200 MHz (819.2 GB/s)
Capacity 32 GB 64 GB 32 GB 64 GB
Online configuration 64 GB 128 GB 64 GB
96 GB (38-core GPU)
128 GB
192 GB
SSD
Type PCIe 4.0-based SSD with up to 7.4 GB/s read speed
Capacity 512 GB 1 TB 512 GB 1 TB
Online configuration 1 TB
2 TB
4 TB
8 TB
2 TB
4 TB
8 TB
1 TB
2 TB
4 TB
8 TB
2 TB
4 TB
8 TB
Audio
Speakers Yes
3.5 mm jack With advanced support for high-impedance headphones
Audio output from HDMI Yes
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (802.11) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6E (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Maximum Wi-Fi speed 1.2 Gbit/s 2.4 Gbit/s
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.3
Ethernet With 10Gb speed
HDMI port HDMI 2.0 HDMI 2.1
SDXC card slot Yes
USB-C/Thunderbolt port
Back Four Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among others
Front Two USB-C ports supporting charging Two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among others Two USB-C ports supporting charging Two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among others
USB-A port Two USB-A ports
Transmission speed
Thunderbolt Up to 40 Gbit/s transmission speed (Thunderbolt 4 or USB4)
USB-C Up to 10 Gbit/s transmission speed (USB 3.1 Gen 2) Up to 10 Gbit/s transmission speed (USB 3.1 Gen 2)
USB-A Up to 5 Gbit/s transmission speed (USB 3.0)
eGPU support No
External display support
Maximum display 5 3/6/8
Max. three display combination
  • 3 × 6K at 60Hz (Thunderbolt), or
  • 2 × 6K at 60Hz (Thunderbolt) + 8K at 60Hz (HDMI), or
  • 2 × 6K at 60Hz (Thunderbolt) + 4K at 240Hz (HDMI)
  • 3 × 8K at 60Hz, or
  • 3 × 4K at 240Hz
Max. five displays combination
  • 4 × 6K at 60Hz (Thunderbolt) + 4K at 60Hz (HDMI)
Max. six displays combination
  • 6 × 6K at 60Hz (Thunderbolt), or
  • 5 × 6K at 60Hz (Thunderbolt) + 4K at 144Hz (HDMI)
Max. eight displays combination
  • 7 × 4K at 60Hz (Thunderbolt, one via daisy chain) + 4K at 60Hz (HDMI)
Power
Power adapter 370 W (Maximum continuous)
Dimensions
Height 3.7 in (9.4 cm)
Width 7.7 in (20 cm)
Depth 7.7 in (20 cm)
Weight 5.9 lb (2.68 kg) 7.9 lb (3.58 kg) 5.9 lb (2.68 kg) 7.9 lb (3.58 kg)
Total greenhouse gas emissions 262 kg CO2e (32 GB memory and 512 GB storage)[23] 375 kg CO2e (64 GB memory and 1 TB storage) 290 kg CO2e (32 GB memory and 512 GB storage)[24] 346 kg CO2e (64 GB memory and 1 TB storage)
Model details
Model number A2615 A2901
Hardware strings Mac13,1 Mac13,2 Mac14,13 Mac14,14
Part/order number MJMV2 (24-core GPU)
Build-to-order (32-core GPU)
MJMW3 (48-core GPU)
Build-to-order (64-core GPU)
MQH73 (30-core GPU)
Build-to-order (38-core GPU)
MQH63 (60-core GPU)
Build-to-order (76-core GPU)
Timeline
Announced date March 8, 2022 June 5, 2023
Released date March 18, 2022 June 13, 2023
Discontinued date June 5, 2023 In production
Unsupported date Supported
Timeline of Power Macintosh, Pro, and Studio models
Mac ProMac StudioMac ProMac StudioMac ProMac ProMac ProPower Mac G5Power Mac G5Power Mac G4Power Mac G5Power Mac G4Power Mac G4 CubePower Mac G4Power Macintosh G3#Blue and WhitePower Macintosh 9600Power Macintosh G3Power Macintosh 8600Power Macintosh 9500Power Macintosh 8500Power Macintosh 8100Power Macintosh G3Power Macintosh 7600Power Macintosh 7300Power Macintosh 4400Power Macintosh 7500Power Macintosh 7200Power Macintosh 7100Power Macintosh 6500Power Macintosh 6400Power Macintosh 6200Power Macintosh 6100Power Macintosh G3Twentieth Anniversary MacintoshPower Macintosh 5500Power Macintosh 5400Power Macintosh 5260Power Macintosh 5200 LC

References

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  1. ^ Dillet, Romain (March 8, 2022). "Apple introduces a brand new Mac, the Mac Studio". techcrunch. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Cunningham, Andrew (March 8, 2022). "Apple announces $1,999 Mac Studio workstation with new 20-core M1 Ultra chip". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Delivery Estimates for Mac Studio and Studio Display Slip to April". Mac Rumors. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  4. ^ "Mac Studio shipping dates already slipping to April and May". Apple Insider. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "Mac studio: Everything we know about Apple's powerful new desktop computer". The Independent. March 11, 2022. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Apple's Mac Studio Is the iMac Pro Reboot You've Been Waiting For". PCMAG. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "Apple's new M1 Ultra aims to beat Nvidia's RTX 3090". The Verge. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "Apple M1 Ultra Chip Is Nearly 3 Times Bigger Than AMD's Ryzen CPUs, Benchmarks Show Desktop Intel & AMD CPUs Still Ahead". wccftech.com. March 19, 2022. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  9. ^ "Lights Out Management MDM payload settings for Apple devices". Apple Support. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Apple's Mac Studio Is a Mightier Desktop for Creative Pros". Wired. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  11. ^ Maring, Joe (March 22, 2022). "Mac Studio Fan Noise: Here's How Loud Apple's Latest Mac Gets". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  12. ^ "Apple explains why the M1 Ultra-equipped Mac Studio is two pounds heavier". The Verge. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "Does the Mac Studio have Thunderbolt 4?". XDA Developers. March 10, 2022. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  14. ^ "Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  15. ^ Porter, Jon (March 24, 2022). "iFixit teardown offers a detailed look inside the Mac Studio and Studio Display". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  16. ^ "iFixit on Twitter". March 23, 2022. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "Mac Studio Teardown: No Upgradable Storage … Yet". ifixit. March 21, 2022. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  18. ^ Cunningham, Andrew (March 22, 2022). "Explaining the Mac Studio's removable SSDs, and why you can't simply swap them out". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  19. ^ "The Mac Studio's removable SSD is reportedly blocked by Apple on a software level". The Verge. March 22, 2022. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  20. ^ "Explaining the Mac Studio's removable SSDs, and why you can't simply swap them out". Ars Technica. March 22, 2022. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "Mac Studio (2022) – Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  22. ^ "Mac Studio (2023) – Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  23. ^ "Product Environmental Report Mac Studio (2022)" (PDF). Apple. March 18, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  24. ^ "Product Environmental Report Mac Studio (2023)" (PDF). Apple. June 5, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
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