Mac Studio

Mac Studio

Developer	Apple Inc.
Type	Compact desktop Workstation
Release date	March 18, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-18)
Operating system	macOS
System on a chip	Apple M-series
Predecessor	iMac Pro
Related	Mac Mini, Mac Pro
Website	apple.com/mac-studio

The Mac Studio is a small-form-factor workstation made 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]

Overview

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 8 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 Pro Display XDRs, and support for 8K displays over Thunderbolt and HDMI.^[14]

Repairability

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 yet. 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

Discontinued

Current

Model		2022[21]		2023[22]
Timeline	Announced	March 8, 2022		June 5, 2023
	Released	March 18, 2022		June 13, 2023
	Discontinued	June 5, 2023		In production
	Unsupported	Supported
Model details	Model number (on underside)	A2615		A2901
	Model identifier	Mac13,1	Mac13,2	Mac14,13	Mac14,14
	Part number (order number)	MJMV2	MJMW3	MQH73	MQH63
Performance
	System on a chip	Apple M1 Max	Apple M1 Ultra	Apple M2 Max	Apple M2 Ultra
	CPU cores	8 × 3.23 GHz performance cores (Firestorm) and 2 × 2.064 GHz efficiency cores (Icestorm); 10-core overall	16 × 3.23 GHz performance cores (Firestorm) and 4 × 2.064 GHz efficiency cores (Icestorm); 20-core overall	8 × 3.504 GHz performance cores (Avalanche) and 4 × 2.424 GHz efficiency cores (Blizzard); 12-core overall	16 × 3.504 GHz performance cores (Avalanche) and 8 × 2.424 GHz efficiency cores (Blizzard); 24-core overall
	Cache	Performance cores: 192 KB L1i, 128 KB L1d, 12 MB shared L2 Efficiency cores: 128 KB L1i, 64 KB L1d, 4 MB shared L2 System level cache: 48 MB	Performance cores: 192 KB L1i, 128 KB L1d, 24 MB shared L2 Efficiency cores: 128 KB L1i, 64 KB L1d, 8 MB shared L2 System level cache: 96 MB	Performance Cores: 192 KB L1i, 128 KB L1d, 32 MB shared L2 Efficiency Cores: 128 KB L1i, 64 KB L1d, 4 MB shared L2 System Level Cache: 48 MB	Performance Cores: 192 KB L1i, 128 KB L1d, 64 MB shared L2 Efficiency Cores: 128 KB L1i, 64 KB L1d, 8 MB shared L2 System Level Cache: 96 MB
	GPU cores	24-core Apple G13X (384 EUs, 3072 ALUs) or 32-core Apple G13X (512 EUs, 4096 ALUs) Optional 32-core GPU at time of purchase, not upgradable after	48-core Apple G13X (768 EUs, 6144 ALUs) or 64-core Apple G13X (1024 EUs, 8192 ALUs) Optional 64-core GPU at time of purchase, not upgradable after	30-core (480 EUs, 3840 ALUs) or 38-core (608 EUs, 4864 ALUs) Optional 38-core GPU at time of purchase, not upgradable after	60-core (960 EUs, 7680 ALUs) or 76-core (1216 EUs, 9728 ALUs) Optional 76-core GPU at time of purchase, not upgradable after
	Neural Engine	16-core (11 trillion operations per second)	32-core (22 trillion operations per second)	16-core (15.8 trillion operations per second)	32-core (31.6 trillion operations per second)
	Cooling system	Aluminum heat spreader, double fan	Copper heat spreader, double fan	Aluminum heat spreader, double fan	Copper heat spreader, double fan
	Memory type	512-bit quad-channel LPDDR5-6400 unified memory (409.6 GB/s)	1024-bit octa-channel LPDDR5-6400 unified memory (819.2 GB/s)	512-bit quad-channel LPDDR5-6400 unified memory (409.6 GB/s)	1024-bit octa-channel LPDDR5-6400 unified memory (819.2 GB/s)
	Memory capacity	32 GB Optional 64 GB at time of purchase, not upgradable after	64 GB Optional 128 GB at time of purchase, not upgradable after	32 GB Optional 64 GB and 96 GB at time of purchase, not upgradable after	64 GB Optional 128 GB and 192 GB at time of purchase, not upgradable after
Storage	SSD type	PCIe-based SSD with up to 7.4 GB/s read speed Possible to upgrade after purchase, but uses non-standard modules
	SSD capacity	512 GB, not upgradeable Optional 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB at time of purchase, not upgradable after	1 TB, not upgradeable Optional 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB at time of purchase, not upgradable after	512 GB, not upgradeable Optional 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB at time of purchase, not upgradable after	1 TB, not upgradeable Optional 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB at time of purchase, not upgradable after
Audio	Speaker	Built-in speaker
	3.5 mm headphone jack	Included with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
Connectivity	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)		Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
	Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0		Bluetooth 5.3
	Ethernet	10 Gb Ethernet with Lights Out Management
Ports	USB-C	2 × (USB-C 3.1 Gen 2) ports supporting 15W charging and DisplayPort protocols among others	6 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C 4) ports supporting up to 15W charging and DisplayPort protocols among others	2 × (USB-C 3.1 Gen 2) ports supporting 15W charging and DisplayPort protocols among others	6 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C 4) ports supporting up to 15W charging and DisplayPort protocols among others
		4 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C 4) ports supporting up to 15W charging[23] and DisplayPort protocols among others		4 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C 4) ports supporting up to 15W charging and DisplayPort protocols among others
	Other ports	2 × (USB-A 3.0), 1 × HDMI 2.0, 1 × SDXC memory card slot (UHS-II). No eGPU support.		2 × (USB-A 3.0), 1 × HDMI 2.1, 1 × SDXC memory card slot (UHS-II). No eGPU support.
	External display support	Four displays up to 6016 × 3384 at 60 Hz at 10-bit color depth via 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports and one display up to 3840 × 2160 at 60 Hz at 10-bit color depth via HDMI 2.0 port; 5 displays total		Four displays up to 6016 × 3384 at 60 Hz at 10-bit color depth via Thunderbolt 4 ports and one display up to 3840 × 2160 at 60 Hz at 10-bit color depth via HDMI 2.1 port; 5 displays total Two displays up to 6016 × 3384 at 60 Hz at 10-bit color depth via Thunderbolt 4 ports and one display up to 7680 × 4320 at 60 Hz or one display up to 3840 × 2160 at 240 Hz at 10-bit color depth via HDMI 2.1 port; 3 displays total	Eight displays up to 3840 × 2160 at 60 Hz at 10-bit color depth Six displays up to 6016 × 3384 at 60 Hz at 10-bit color depth Three displays up to 7680 × 4320 at 60 Hz at 10-bit color depth
Power		370 W (max continuous) (All models)[24] Mode 100 V 115 V 230 V Off 0.22 W 0.23 W 0.32 W Sleep 1.5 W 1.5 W 1.7 W Idle 11.4 W 11.4 W 10.9 W		370 W (max continuous) (All models)[25] Mode 100 V 115 V 230 V Off 0.17 W 0.18 W 0.24 W Sleep 1.7 W 1.7 W 1.7 W Idle 10.1 W 10.1 W 9.7 W
Greenhouse gas emissions		262 kg (578 lb) CO2e[24]	375 kg (827 lb) CO2e[24]	290 kg (640 lb) CO2e[25]	346 kg (763 lb) CO2e[25]
Dimensions		7.7 in (19.56 cm) × 7.7 in (19.56 cm) × 3.7 in (9.40 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)
Operating system	Initial release	macOS 12 Monterey		macOS 13 Ventura
	Latest release	macOS 14 Sonoma

Timeline of Power Macintosh, Pro, and Studio models v t e
See also: List of Mac models

References

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. "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. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
22. "Mac Studio (2023) – Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
23. "What Is Thunderbolt™ 4 and How Is It Different from USB-C?". Intel. Retrieved June 3, 2023. Quick charging: Up to 100W of power for laptop charging and up to 15W for computer-powered accessories.
24. "Mac Studio Product Environmental Report" (PDF). Apple. March 4, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
25. "Mac Studio Product Environmental Report" (PDF). Apple. June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.

External links

• Official website