M1 Max vs M1 Ultra Mac Studio: Why pay TWICE as much?

With two major versions of the new Mac Studio, one with the M1 Max chip we've seen in the new MacBook Pros, and an all new M1 Ultra chip starting at $3,999, it begs the question: For twice the money, does M1 Ultra really give you twice the performance? And does M1 Max perform any different in Mac Studio rather than a MacBook Pro? In today's video we're going to find out by pitting the cheapest Mac Studio against the 48 core M1 Ultra Mac that costs twice as much for the ultimate benchmark and comparison.
time stamps
0:00 Intro
1:16 Mac Studio vs iMac value
2:44 M1 Max vs Ultra: What’s different?
3:36 CPU Synthetic Benchmarks
4:13 GPU Benchmarks
5:21 Video Editing Benchmarks
6:29 3D Modeling Benchmarks
7:29 Benchmark analysis
9:13 M1 Max vs Ultra: Worth the difference?
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[@lukemiani]

Are you guys interested in seeing how M1 Ultra (both 48 and 64 core) compares to the PC Apple claimed they could beat? Me too! I'm working on it, so get subbed and turn on notifications to see that video when it comes out!

[@benderocks788]

How about testing (on the MAX & the Ultra) the Thunderbolt 4 ports with EXTERNAL SSDs to see if the controlers slows down the external SSD like on the M1 Mac Mini?

Sure we are! It's always nice to see how far both "bloodlines" influence each other...

[@havour9O7]

Get a real job.

[@Dorito230]

Just give us a 32” iMac.

[@slowercuber7767]

Yes! I would love to see how Apple got the relative graphic performance they claimed in the face of much evidence that generally the ultra measures short of the 3090 (and 3080, for that matter).

[@thefilmpoets]

For video editing, 99% of the time is spent watching and trimming clips, not exporting. Someone needs to compare live playback of multicam HEVC clips for Max vs Ultra.

[@LucasCanuck]

Yes, agreed.

[@morerate435]

Also agree! Been looking for one video that show that

[@krisco]

This 100%. I’ve been looking for reviews with actual heavy editing. The playback, scrubbing, and editing process is the frustration….I don’t care if it exports 3-5 minutes faster, I always walk away when I do a full render/export anyways.

[@ghost-user559]

@@krisco That depends I think. A lot of these content creators make the thumbnail and try to make several videos in a row, so quantity over quality and multitasking is really important. But for a full time professional editor doing feature length films and documentaries? Yeah render time is less important, and you don’t need to Photoshop a thumbnail in the background while it renders. But it’s definitely all dependent on your use case and workflow.

[@thefilmpoets]

@@krisco exactly. thats my break time. I don't want it to render faster =) - But I do want it to playback properly during the edit

[@philippscheithauer]

I feel like most youtubers don't really know what to test on those machines since they are mostly not the target audience for those extra cores. First of all: double the media engine means that it can handle double the streams, not run single streams of codecs faster (hence no export benefit since its few streams at a time). You'd see a difference with heavy multicam editing which most don't do on youtube since this only appears in real productions (e.g. live sessions). Second of all: To benefit from the extra cores, especially in the GPU department, you'd actually have to run GPU intensive video editing stuff like VFX or heavy grading with noise reduction/grain/light rays etc. enabled. Again you will not see a difference with basic editing in the cut page and minor corrections to colors. Thats not how these chips or any pc of that caliber stretches its legs. Lastly, most will not buy this machine to shape of 2 minutes from the video export but rather the seamless workflow in the timeline with all the heavy effects visible without having to pre-render all the time. It's there where you actually spend 95% of your time in post, not sitting around for an export to finish and arguing if 5 minutes will safe you money. If only export is of concern for filmmakers, we'd all have a M1 Air and take a 10min break for exports...

[@matthewturco156]

Beautifully stated - one of these KZbinrs should hire you as a 'true benchmark' consultant so we'll see different scenarios. Luke's are some of the better ones, but the real reason why someone would buy the Ultra is how responsive the actual 3D or multi-cam applications run. I still haven't found a MacBook Pro benchmark or speed test while running a 5K external monitor -- which was the number one reason (well, that and any MS Teams conference call) why my Intel MacBook Pro turned into a hot, noisy appliance that warmed my office 12 hours a day. I bought the M1 Max MacBook (versus the Pro) because I wouldn't take the chance I'd be over-taxing the GPU, even though I don't do much compositing.

[@tbirdparis]

Good points well made. KZbinrs also tend to overlook (or misunderstand) entire other industries where the use of "pro-level" Macs is ubiquitous, such as music production. Which incidentally isn't a tiny niche, it's probably a pretty comparable number of users worldwide as there are people working in video. Without going into details, the main take away from this is that it's not necessarily good advice to tell someone working in music that an M1 Max Mac Studio is the better buy just because the increased GPU performance of the M1 Ultra is overkill. The GPU performance of an M1 MacBook Air is already overkill for people working in music, so it's not exactly a useful metric. However, having double the CPU cores and the capability for up to 128GB RAM - now this _is_ something that makes a difference for music producers - especially people like film/TV composers using huge orchestral templates. So when it comes to music industry pro's, they're not looking at the GPU cores or double the media encoders when it comes to deciding if the M1 Max or M1 Ultra version is the right way to go. It all comes down to whether the work they do could choke a 10 CPU core machine, and whether 64GB RAM isn't going to cut it for loading in the huge sample libraries they use.

[@matthewturco156]

@@tbirdparis Damn...a musical arrangement that "could choke a 10 CPU core machine" - now that's a video I want to see!

[@tbirdparis]

@@matthewturco156 haha.. :) Well, as someone who has worked on many Hollywood films, TV and Netflix series etc... I can tell you, it's less hard than you might think to bring a powerful multi-core machine to its knees.

[@reedhildebrand3937]

Philipp, what would get if this was your usage: Running simultaneously Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Firefox, Chrome, MS Word, Grammarly, Adobe Arobat and Adobe Premiere.) Heavy use of the Adobe apps - large PS files up to 1.5gb.

[@brandoncrenshaw]

It’s crazy how the pro in a laptop & a max in a desktop are the ones to go for.

[@cheesun124]

Exactly, Not sure I agree

[@RyanEllerbe]

@@cheesun124 I bet he meant for the money and for it you don’t need the fastest one for work. Seems like the Pro is the go to and the max in the studio

[@andrewgrant788]

I think that depends on what you want to do with it. The Ultra has double the CPU cores of the Pro or Max. The Pro and Max have the same number of CPU cores. If you have a scalable CPU intensive workload, the Ultra is the machine to get.

[@Eftyhis_Vavagiakis]

I don’t get why Apple didn’t offer the Pro for the Mac Studio also, at a lower price and maybe a 16 GB variant (to be even cheaper). It would be sufficient enough for audio work in my opinion.

[@pb25193]

@@Eftyhis_Vavagiakis completely agree. I think it's because the cost difference between max and pro makes the pro appear relatively expensive when put in the market. I doubt they'd be able to make it any cheaper than 300-400 cheaper, and the heat sink would be a wasted cost. Getting the max for audio, and having the same feeling as you. I guess I'll take it for what it is..

[@AllgoodthingsTv]

Love these value videos. They are very helpful in terms of figuring out which model to buy. One note: on your charts, if you could put a little graphic/icon of each system by the name, I think it would help as you blaze through those benchmarks. I often find myself wondering which system is which. Also, the "shorter bars is better" note is always helpful (where applicable).

[@utubekullanicisi]

I want you to repeat all of these tests 2 months before now. This is very early in the lifetime of the M1 Ultra, I'm 100% confident that apps like DaVinci and Apple's own apps will get updated to take better advantage of the hardware. I mean even for the M1 Pro and Max devs needed to update their apps, there's no way more optimizations aren't on their way for the M1 Ultra.

[@allanknudsen1059]

That’s exactly what I was thinking the entire video!!

[@brucekennedy5274]

Getting the base with some extra storage. I’m mostly FCP, AE & Photoshop. Even though I do a lot of video, most of it is still HD, let alone 4k, so I think I’ll be more than fine for the next few years. I already knew this was a solid choice and that 2 grand saving could be spent in much better places rather than chasing specs and fomo. Luke is extremely thorough and keeps a great ‘real world’ perspective, so I’m really pleased his assessment matches up with my expectations.

[@classicaloracle]

Yes! Even M1 is fine with 4K unless you are doing something crazy with Pro Res or Multi-Cam.

[@AlistairMorton]

I bought the M1 Max Mac Studio based on this video, I've had it since April 10th. The only upgrade I indulged in was the 2TB SSD. It is and has been a beast for my Day to day workload. ( Sketch/PhotoShop/Figma/Zoom ) upgrading from a top-of-the-line 2017 5k Imac, the difference has been immeasurable. Very Happy. -Thanks, Luke.

[@TheRealJamesWu]

Great to hear you talking about the fan noise, because this is huge for recording STUDIOS! It is like they got that name from somewhere...It really is not for everyone, but it is a great product for people who actually need it. Great video!

[@ArmoredMexican]

I meant to comment on this the day I saw it, but that intro with the fog machine looks amazing Luke! Many thanks for your effort in keeping the content creative and exciting for us.

[@zeuslgn]

I think the Ultra is only for particular use-case scenarios that won't apply to most content creators and certainly not worth twice as much for the minor performance differences those creators would get if they got it. Better to spend that extra cash on more ram and storage.

[@TheIan350z]

Exactly… I got the ultra because I wanted the cpu cores, and I wanted 64gb of ram anyway, when you upgrade the base to 64gb and 1tb, the ultra is about $1k more and you get double the cpu cores, and maybe some more memory bandwidth on top. Doesn’t make sense for video production from what I’ve seen…. But as a software developer, I want the cores ;)

[@0xbenedikt]

Not every content creator is doing video work though. As a software developer and CAD user, I would love that extra performance, though I would not spend this much on a workstation regardless of performance.

[@merbudd]

i can't really agree with spending money on more ram as 32gb is already hella enough for like 95% of people but storage... yea i agree. i mean, come on apple, only 512 gb for a $2k machine??

[@davidbillberg2203]

Great reviews! Really awesome.

[@RiccardoMerloVegan]

Very happy to see desktop M1 Max to outperform 16” M1X Max in some test, as I was hoping. Mac Studio with M1 Max 32-core should be already really really powerful GPU wise

[@steveb1972]

Damn Luke, with all the testing, analysis and beauty shots you’ve worked so hard. Many thanks for doing all this work to help us decide. Blessings from England 👍🏼

[@bofredriksson1466]

Just what I was looking for. Thank you. Great video!!!

[@phillmcmurtry9286]

Hi Luke, great review on all of these macs from a graphics software perspective however no mention for studio music producers and what the benefits could be? Would like to see a video comparing them with ProTools, LogicProX, StudioOne, Cubase, Abelton Live and more. Would like also to see how orchestral sample libraries would perform, think EastWest or Native instruments…. Just a suggestion but no one is doing this and I’m baffled why no one is running these tests? Anyhow, keep up the great work!

[@karlloveridge8818]

This is exactly what I was waiting to see. I haven't bought a machine for a long while so as a mobile indie game developer and I choose the Apple Studio Max with 32 core over the Ultra. You only validated my decision. Thanks for doing this Luke! I would be curious to see a Apple Studio Max up against a Macbook pro Max spec'd the same. I held off buying the 16" Macbook Pro Max to see what Apple would deliver along the iMac line. Was delighted with the Mac Studio Max option. I have all the peripherals (keyboard, mouse, wacom tablet/cintiqu, etc already). So I love the Mac Studio having all the ports I need.

[@zoovy7252]

are there game development tools have been optimised for native arm architecture ?

[@lukemiani]

I did have some benchmarks comparing a 24 core version of the MacBook Pro and the Studio! The studio's cooling performance seems to allow the GPU to stretch its legs a bit more!

[@tonyburzio4107]

Since Metal is being rewritten by the Apple engineers at Blender, a game developer needs to get into their train of thought (especially for MetalRT).

[@sam10bw]

I was waiting for something like this as well to use for character art. I’m still not quite sure how it will handle characters with millions of polygons but for what I’m doing it should work fine. It’s definitely a better option than the MacBook Pro for me at the moment.

[@User_Anonymus318]

Respect it must be a right decision. Spend $2k for high quality monitor and keboard.

[@jimtheoharis369]

On a side note, your video quality is insane and by far the absolute best I’ve ever seen on KZbin with my 77 LX CX. Bravo!!!

[@eddyhorsky1662]

Luke that Intro was awesome 💯💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥

[@robi7017]

I always enjoy your videos and am looking forward to more videos from you on the Mac Studio line. This video was good but would have been even better if you didn’t rush through your benchmark graphics slides. It’s great information and I like to study them as you post them. Thanks for a great channel.

[@SoundHoundStudios999]

Nice fog machine! I like your new intro!

[@lloydterryjr.bodygraphicsphoto]

Good video. One question did you run any tests with 16" M1 Max 24 Core against the base M 1 Mac Studio?

[@BraxtonGibbons68]

Have you thought about using HDR or HLG in your videos? It might help them look even better! Keep up the great content.

[@MyAmericanMorning]

Great video. Given the two extremes, Max vs Ultra, what would you expect the difference to be with Lightroom, Photoshop or Corel Painter?

[@miahmiller8562]

Thank you so much for always doing in-depth videos on the lowest end models, it is so helpful!!

[@mariodasilva8729]

Great comparisons, exactly the ones that I was waiting for , MUCH Appreciated! For my use, light editing, the Mini seemed a litle small, but the Studio seems just right! I like this comparison especially that you include the iMac Pro, outdated though it is... and will be to the approaching Reveals and new models coming up SOON!

[@MusicalKinetics]

I still use a 10 year old Mack book pro core i7 with 16 gb or RAM and 1 TB SSD. The only real issues I am having is compatibility with the new OS versions. Many people will never need this much power so the base Mac mini might even just be it for most. But for those who really want a new computer, the base mac studio might just do the trick. Excellent video and great commitment to the reviews by buying all those products. You have my respect ✊.

[@pmb6667]

Same here with me (except I have a Mid-2010 MAc Pro, upgraded everything inside maxed out, RAM and Hard Drive bays, including adding an SSD drive, super fast!). If it weren't for the OS being outdated, I'd keep it as a workhorse for my work. I'm keeping it as a server, and getting a Mac Studio to run my apps, etc.

[@borasumer]

That is the review I have been waiting for. Thanks mate 💯

[@mototacularlife5267]

Awesome review with a completely clear explanation of the results

[@brettwalkow]

Great videos on the Mac Studio! After watching a few of yours I have one question i’m stuck on. Definitely going for the ultra 48 core. I’m a 4K video editor who will run multiple timelines, with after effects in the background, Photoshop etc…. Is 64gb perfect or 128gb. Or is 128gb unnecessary overkill/waste of money? Would love your opinion. Thanks!

[@senpera]

Hardly anyone compares Davinci results using noise reduction which is really taxing on performance. It would great to see more of that.

[@BarcodeTheWalls]

Killing it as always, making the most sense on KZbin 🤘🏼

[@destinyfate7616]

Such a huge leap on performance, i keep forgetting that the chips they produce uses 2/3 of electricity compared to those on the desktop rigs

[@ScottGwinnett]

Great review love watching your videos here in the Uk… Quick question you may be able to answer, I have a 2011 iMac 27” if I brought the M1 Max Mac Studio could I use the iMac as a display?

[@MatsuXL]

I came from Genius Bar just to say how epic that fog machine intro was! Well done!

[@paulbeckmann]

Great tests! Thanks! Very helpful!

[@steveedina]

Both impressive machines and the base model Studio is a great buy at that price point. Thank you for your review. However, more than a year into writing code and compiling on an M1 Mac mini and I see no reason to upgrade.

[@williamrosales1]

nice video, may I ask what fps you record in?

[@karthikeyanananthabhotla4842]

Appreciate your work. Thanks for the review.

[@deankellytech]

Hi Luke, Great video and very informative about video editing. Turns out there really isn’t that much difference between Max and ultra. Thanks

[@lewis4964]

Hi Luke, you are really really good content maker and appreciated all these test was done. While Im still still deciding either go to 24core or 32core, but after watched your video definitely i know which i should go to. Once again thanks for doing this Luke! Greeting from Malaysia

[@nickaraiz1490]

Superb job! I ordered the model you reviewed (with 2TB SSD). Going from my 2017 i5 iMac (fusion drive, ugh!) I am so excited to get my hands on this new technology.

[@aldorodriguez7310]

This was an amazing review🎉

[@dimamenetro]

Heard what you said on the Genius Bar Luke!! I love the smoke machine intro!!

[@tomsoccocio9065]

Great stuff man! Wonder if you can help me make a decision. I am a full-time audio/video producer and currently use an iMac Pro (3 years old). I am upgrading my studio and I am having trouble deciding whether to pull the trigger on the new Mac Studio with the M1 Max. I have an i7, 64 gigs of ram, and a 1 TB of storage in my Pro. Do you think I would get considerably better performance with the M1 max version than what I currently have. I use Premiere Pro as my primary video software and Ableton Live and Audition for Audio Production. Or…the big question…should I look for a PC like the HP Z series? Thoughts?

The major realisation I got recently from your videos related to M1 processors is this: "I am not even close to being a true prosumer". I'm just a base-level user with my 1080p videos for courses. I don't need anything above the base MBAir on the go and base M1 Mini at the office. My current 2019 5K iMac is overkill for my actual needs. Thanks for the job you invest in those videos. Since today I will watch those as a pure entertainment. My wallet is grateful :D

[@mzwzm]

like always, a great review, Luke!

[@DjSabzi]

Great video great information. Thank you.

[@idrisso.g.6316]

Thank you, Luke, for this insight. My guess with the ULTRA is that you're not getting double the speed but maybe when exporting or rendering things you can still work on a new project at the same level of power....Maybe that's what the extra 2000$ are for... whats your thought on that? ADD ON: or we are lacking software updates

[@itsjustanumber954]

Love the Smoke effects in the Intro !!!🥰👌🏾🔥❤️‍🔥

[@alexandrearquembourg7203]

That was actually a good comparison. Thank you.

[@tedclubberlang3430]

A little off topic but I have to say that I really like the lighting of your videos!

[@PlayStefan_misc]

Nice video and interesting benchmark results, let's me feel even better with my purchase. For me the Mac Studio M1 Max (24 GPU) makes totally sense and is exactly the version I bought just adding 1 TB of storage. I started the transition in 2020 with a Mac mini M1 with 16 GB RAM and I was blown away how it kills my 2013 Mac Pro (12-Core, Dual D700s, 64 GB RAM). I bought the entry level 14" Mac Book Pro last year manly because of the screen which made sense again because I am editing in HDR (Dolby Vision) and so the XDR Pro Motion Screen was a very great value. If you compare it's price to the Pro Display XDR and consider that you get a notebook at the same time, it's insane. I will sell the mini as soon as the Mac Studio arrives. It's a pity that the Studio Display doesn't support HDR and Pro Motion at it's price point and why the heck is the power cord unplug-gable?! Maybe because of it's depth I guess... Greetings from gemany really like your content and the new studio.

[@dgflame]

Informative ❤️

[@savoyTheater]

There are a lot of comparison vides out there in YT land, but I appreciate the questions you are asking and it absolutely swayed my decision to go with the M1 max studio, as I am a convert to DaVinci Resolve. I think I will opt for the 32 core GPU version w/ 64GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Thanks for a very thoughtful review!

[@hardikar0jas]

The intro was so cool!

[@Marc_Koch]

Hi Like, really like your videos. Can you maybe do a feature on the process of benchmarking, what tools you use, why you use it, what it tells you, explain the foundational elements behind your work.

[@MaidenOfMusic]

Thank you for doing this review, I haven’t seen any other KZbinrs compare the M1 Max in the Mac Studio to the one in the Macbook Pro, which was my biggest question. I ordered the M1 Max Studio, and after watching this I know I made the right decision!

[@kcproduction2984]

I just purchased the Mac Studio M1 Max and I am very happy to see that finally I might have opted for the right choice. The only think I added was upgrading from 32gb RAM to 64gb RAM and opted for the 2 TB SSD drive. I am trying for the long run, if in the technology world it's possible :) Can't wait to get it. Upgraded from an iMac 2017 5k Retina. Great explanatory video. It is always hard to know if you are buying the right machine or not. You did such a great job explaining the differences.

[@georgehuszka6856]

Thank you for the dedicated hard work! Have a nice day!

[@jackyckbd312]

I can belive I just found this vid! I was serching for months for ppls who test Max vs Ultra on their Render capacity (I used Vray on Sketchup) this make me happy to go all in Ultra! you got a new sub Luke!

[@JoeTourist]

Thanks for answering the question I had: the difference between same-spec Max SoC in the Studio and in the MacBook Pro form factors.

[@FritsJanSmit]

Good insight. Thanks.

[@mikerisner]

Great comparison video! I decided to go with the base M1 Max Mac Studio with 1TB of storage. I probably don’t need that much power most of the time, so don’t tell my wife. I wanted the smoothest video timeline editing experience. I cannot stand transition previews stuttering so I have no confidence for the timing. Hoping this investment solves that issue for me 😬

[@JedWunderli]

I have the 14" MBP with the M1 Pro - 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores; 32 GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. I love it and it does great with Davinci Resolve. I ordered the Mac Studio to be a permanent solution for my music studio (I'll use it for video editing as well) - M1 Max chip with 32 graphics cores, 64 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage. I think it will serve me well for quite a while. Can't wait to get it and my Studio display.

[@gilbertodiaz3658]

Lol I just ordered the same specs … was on the fence on the ultra … but saved about 800 . Should be fine for awhile !

[@pedrosa144]

Just received my base model Studio with the Max chip and it’s awesome, you are correct about the cooling fan, it’s really really quiet and the exhaust air is barely warm even when the chip is under load. Well pleased with my purchase. Still one niggling annoyance with all the new Apple chips and that is the transfer speeds using external SSD’s over USB-C is still slower than the old Minis and MacBook Pro’s with Intel chips.

[@PJElliot]

I bought the base Studio Max. In the tests where the Ultra pulled ahead you’d be better off with a high end PC and RTX card.

[@thetechguy6004]

Here is my two cents, I also got the base model as well. So far I am disappointed with H.264 performance on my Mac Studio with the M1 Max. In nearly every test that I've done the export times in Final Cut Pro are always about 36 seconds slower than my 2019 i9 15 inch Intel MacBook Pro. I presume it has something to do with the internal encoders that are limiting the performance. I edit 1080p 60fps H.264 XAVC-S footage from a Sony AX100 camcorder. A 6:30 minute clip takes 4:23 minutes to export on the Intel MacBook Pro and 4:36 seconds on the Mac Studio. Then if I export a longer video for example 30 minutes the gap slightly increases with a time of 16:38 minutes on the MacBook and 17:16 minutes on the Mac Studio. In some instances that same 30 minute clip takes up to a minute longer depending on how complex the timeline is.

[@ATTITUDEFILMS]

Thank you. This was helpful. My only question is should I get the 1 TB SSD storage or plunk down $400 more for a 2 TB? (I do video editing docs) with the M1 Max?

[@jonorisin73]

Love the lead in. Those are precisely my two questions.

[@johnwade7430]

Thanks Luke for this - interesting results. For audio I am thinking that results are going to be similar. Could you compare the Max and ultra for how many instances of a virtual instrument can be run at the same time? Thanks

[@douglasmontgomery6315]

Luke, thanks for doing all the comparisons for people to make educated decisions. A few things to ask: Why didn't Apple make a filter that one could attached to the bottom to keep the insides clean (one of the other KZbinrs who took one of these apart stated Apple did not want people getting inside...wouldn't that make a filter at the base even more important?...Maybe a third party will. Lastly, Based on your benchmarks, sounds like that 800 g/s transfer speed might also be diminishing returns as well.

[@HarryLoveTV]

Hey Luke. I know most Mac benchmark vids focus on gpu/video rendering etc but would you be able to do one demonstrating the capabilities for audio production?

[@GAMECLOSET]

Thank you for doing the leg work for me. The results are exactly as I suspected they would be and honestly, if someone was going to do a lot more than Adobe CC or video editing, they should just wait for the BIG BOY to come out. Otherwise, $2K Mac Studio is where it’s at and is what I’m buying. Now I’m waiting to see your review on that display. I have an alternative idea of what I may do instead of spending $1,600 on that. It’s pretty, but it’s it practical? I… don’t… know… (As always, thank you, Luke!)

[@garybrowe]

How does the external noise compare between the two machines? If you are using it for recording in a home studio, can you hear the fans? Is Ultra quieter than the Max? I have a 2019 MacBook Pro and that can get loud under load.

[@davidgreen5111]

Thank you for this video. I run the performing arts center at our high school and was torn between the two. You just saved my budget $2000!

[@nexttvc]

after watching your video I am going with Mac Studio Max with 32C and 64GB RAM. That is enough for me

[@mattieisonline143]

Recognizing there’s an opportunity to upgrade the ssd, I recommend the max 1 24core configuration. It is a matter of time we find a compatible ssd chip add-on that works with this system… probably in the next six months from OWC…

[@wb_finewoodworking]

For video and photo editing that I do it looks to me as I was looking at all the specifications and test results that the Mac Studio base computer with the Max is the sweet spot in regards to performance per dollar. That’s what I bought with one change. I upgraded to the 2 TB ssd because it was a good value in my opinion. It will allow me to store everything I need for all my current projects with plenty of headroom and save time because I’m not trying to work off an external drive like I do now. Once I’m finished with a particular project I can move it to an external drive in case I need any of the files in the future. For me the Ultra chip, while it is somewhat faster, would not be worth the extra money. The time savings would be minimal.

[@randallbrander8157]

I am still using the Intel Mac Mini 2018 with 64gb of ram that installed myself. I have 4 cameras hooked up to it including the LG Ultarafine Thunderbolt Display and it performs well. I keep it because of all of the ports. The Mac Studio Max is what I am going to get. I do have the M1 MacBook Air and love it but I really was waiting for the iMac 27" which has been discontinued.

[@morano2011]

Hi Luke, My Mrs is a creative director and designer and I have been a Mac tinkerer since the mid-90s. Never owned a new Mac until we picked up a pair of 2009 iMacs and, in spite of the graphics issues, they served us well for a decade. The 2019 Mac Pro showed up just in time for our iMac's 10th Birthday and things were starting to slow WAY down on those machines, but the price for the new Mac Pro was too absurd to consider. This is when I took matters into my own hands and did some digging around KZbin and found you and others who had taken the Mac Pro 5,1 and maxed it out. I think this was the route a lot of people took, whether they had the money for the 2019 Mac Pro or not. I am sure plenty of us would love to see you do a full comparison between your 2012 Maxed Pro and the $2K Mac Studio to learn how significant the difference is for every day design performance in apps like Photoshop and Illustrator as well as for modern video and audio. Thanks!

[@AndrewTyberg]

That B roll sequence in the intro was awesome!

[@alanabley525]

Thanks for this; enjoying your channel. Is there a way I can use my 2011 27" iMac as a monitor for the Studio? Understand it doesn't have target display.

[@mahelsheikh]

I preordered the base model 1999$ Mac studio M1 max and waiting for it. I think for most use cases at least mine it is good enough for me. I work with data and some video editing on the side but nothing fancy. Don’t get me wrong I was drooling over the ultra but I listened to the sound of reason and bought based on needs not how shiny and cool it is.

[@JimKanaris]

Great review! My sense is that base is typically the way to go for all around performance with Apple silicon bang-for-buck-wise: M1 Pro instead of Max MBP; M1 Max instead of Ultra Studio. And don't get me started about Studio Display!

[@mkzayar1836]

Great ! Would like to see more about how it perform with After Effects. Many claimed it will do much faster than previous models . Is it true ? Can you please check with the MFR projects ?

[@alfredknodler540]

Once more a great review. But what about the performance in Logic Pro?

[@bg0063]

I just got my MBP16 2021 base model and impressed by its quiet operation and power, and that Mac studio is even more good looking

[@hajokerkhof]

Great perspective. I'll go for the 1TB upgraded base model. Thnx for sharing.

[@HamiltonSeen]

Thanks, Luke. I'm reading that the SSD's are actually upgradeable and am very much wondering about the specifics of that... Such as, is it both machines, and is it a proprietary SSD? Looking forward to you cracking one of these open. :)

[@tobyteng7522]

Dear Luke, may I check if which of the applications were running natively and which were using Rosetta please? Thank you.

[@howardgrant1]

I have always maxed out the spec as much as I can to sort of future proof my machine. I last got a 27 inch iMac late 2015, maxed out the ram to 32 gig. 1Tb flash drive , 4 G i7 quad core processor Do you think it is worth going for the Ultra as I do a lot of high end photography editing {many layers with photoshop and Lightroom} with large raw files in a bid to future proof these apps as the updates make them more and more speed and ram consuming. when I first got my machine it was super fast with these apps now they lag and beachball keeps spinning what's your take?

[@skofjanbejta4103]

is there any gain in purchasing a 32core m1 max with 64Gb of ram or it's better to just get the 24/32 one for feature film editing and serious grading?

[@markjones8121]

I’ve an idea! Line up FCPX, A many layered After effects project, Compressor and handbrake (sorry but I love it) transcoding a 4K marvel film to 240p avi file and hit go so they all run simultaneously. Please 🙏🏻

[@carlesmora8351]

Amazing video!!! Why no body make tests with after effects? I would like to compare render and ram preview comparation betwin Max and Ultra on after effects. Please 🙏🏻

[@Eric10460]

Well done 👏

[@shaocaholica]

If you manually make the fans spin at full speed, do you get any better scores on the benchmarks? I don't know how Apple Silicon is setup to 'turbo' just curious if manually setting the fans opens up any additional headroom considering the default fan logic is so quiet.

[@frostymmb]

Since the Max and Ultra models have different cooling, can you compare the noise levels between the two at idle, under load, and at max fan speed?

[@Tonehenge]

My primary use case is a commercial recording studio, with some minor forays into basic video editing, image editing, and web design. Consequently, I ordered the base model with a 2tb drive...

[@johnpaullusk9227]

Benchmarks are great but is it possible to see some real world workflows? How do they play with various video codecs. 4K 4 can multi and etc with effects. As an editor I can wait for longer render times but less delay on playback or scrubbing with effects is a bigger win for me. I’m confident it’ll do well in FCPx but love to see particularly premier. Cheers man.

[@nickbrough8335]

With the bench marks tests which show little performance improvement with double media encoders, is this software issue or that the extra capacity just isnt being utilised because it isnt needed ?