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!
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?
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).
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...
Beautifully stated - one of these TH-camrs 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.
Good points well made. TH-camrs 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
@@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
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.
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.
@@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..
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 ;)
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.
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??
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).
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!
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!
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
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.
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.
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 ✊.
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.
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
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.
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 TH-cam 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 $2K Mac Studio to learn how significant the difference is for every day design performance in apps like Photoshop and Illustrator as well as for modern video and audio. Thanks!
Everyone is running the same benchmarks. Geekbench, Cinebench, Blender, Pugetbench and video rendering. Some new things to try, that might be valuable to some people (at least to me): * Benchmark music production, create new benchmark if needed. Try individual VST:s and focus on the CPU heavy ones? Diva, Spire, Serum, etc. Measure how many instances it can handle. Or measure render time for a project. * Open a large scene in Unity, compare time to open. Press play, compare time until playable. * Compile different projects, not just Mozilla. Test a large .NET project, a large Java project, a large Python project, etc. * Try more games, but focus on the ones with Apple silicon/Metal native ports. Maybe som Apple arcade games? And make sure to compare it with Intel macs. I think a lot of people are looking into if its worth to upgrade from their existing Mac, which probably isn't M1 Max. Compare to iMac and 16-inch Intel MBP.
Thank you, Luke, for this insight. My guess with the ULTRA is that you're not getting double the speed but maybe when exporting or rendering things you can still work on a new project at the same level of power....Maybe that's what the extra 2000$ are for... whats your thought on that? ADD ON: or we are lacking software updates
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.
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.
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!)
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.
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…
Hey there Luke. I've been watching your videos and have appreciated your insight. I moved back to MAC from PC and have found that there are some decent deals on preowned MAC hardware. For example, I got an M1-Max studio with 10cpu/32gpu/64gb ram and 2TB drive for $2300, and an 18core iMac Pro Vega64x/64gb/2tb for $1300. These were test buys to see if moving the workflow back to MAC was going to work, and so far, so good. I will need one more MAC Stuido at some point, not in a hurry, and I'm looking at the M2 version as prices on those are also getting "good." For that final Mac Studio purchase, what are your thoughts? This video on max vs. ultra has me wondering if trying to max out with the ultra is worth the extra $$. Whatever I get needs to last for the next several years and just be able to crank out work product. Again, I'm curious about your thoughts on this. Cheers Rick
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.
Thank you for doing this review, I haven’t seen any other TH-camrs 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!
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 👍🏼
The fact is that as far as 3D goes and rendering specifically, benchmarks are a good jumping iff point, but real world rendering tests are going to be more predictive of how useful this hardware is/will be. The problem is that Apple simply doesn’t have the horses right now to really put these things to good use in 3D to know how beneficial or not they are. Nvidia has a substantial lead in software/hardware collaboration resulting in unique performance high marks within the 3D industry that neither Apple nor AMD can match in a lot of cases. Will Arnold render for Maya rendering a dense scene on an M1 Ultra stand up to a similarly spec’d PC cpu with an Nvidia RTX3060-3090 with all their Optix/CUDA,/Tensor advantages? Don’t know, but I’d sure like see.
Yeah I'm new to 3D and have most from mostly photography to animation/after affects and main reason I'm upgrading my old mac book pro to the m1 max studio but not the ultra. I can still spec out M1 Max and save $1400 and get a prebuilt gaming PC for about as much with a 3060 depending how much my work goes into 3D throughout the year.
@@alimp7118 Yep, that’s pretty much been my formula and likely a lot of other people’s too. Hopefully, the Mac Pro launch in August maybe will reveal some software developments that will at least outline a path where 3D users can comfortably go all in on the MacOS if they would prefer. We’ll have to wait and see.
The long-term problem with the iMac format is that to upgrade the CPU/GPU one needed to purchase a new 27" 5K display with every upgrade, even if the previous iMac display was still good. Separating the display from the engine is ultimately the best long-term strategy, not only for cash outlay but also for waste. I have both the Studio and XDR displays, and expect them to last for many years and over several CPU/GPU upgrades.
i have had my Ultra for a few months. 64 gb ram and 4TB ssd. had 2016 iMac before - 32 gb ram 1 TB ssd. Shooting-processing... bracketed real estate photos at 42mb (500-+ per shoot) and lots of 4k video. scroll bars zip along much faster. export and import is rapid. no fan kick-in. no waiting for image to preview in LR. is it a massive difference? no. but it IS a welcome increase in workflow speed. perhaps the base would be about the same. dunno. but i went for future-proofing. i like performance. i just ordered a Porsche Macan S with the 2.9 T six vs. the base 4 cylinder. i never regret spending on speed and torque.
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 🙏🏻
I get the cost side of going for the base model, but when you are working at a company or with a specific professional program, you expect it to behave a certain way, and if not, you're going to be told you need more of this. (replace this with a computer upgrade). For me, I feel safer upgrading my macs, but if I was using it for light home/personal use, yes, I might buy a baseline model. I heard someone say they recently bought a new MacBook, but it could not handle photoshop well because it did not have enough ram. Don’t be that person who buys baseline, but your use case requires more. We all know macs are pricy, but they are worth it.
I thought a 200 dollar bump from a 24gpu to 32 core is a smart move for the max studio, I paired mine with the 64ram with 1T for 3,047. Just gotta wait till june😩
Yeah definitely the unbinned Max is the balanced choice. I’m still thinking of waiting for a Mac mini M1 Pro which is really all I’d need but I think this will probably tip me over the edge for the full fat M1 Max Studio.
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.
I would like to know the difference between the Max and Ultra in the following case: You are exporting a 4K clip (h264) in FCPX And transcode some clips in Media Encoder of Compressor at the same time. This is something I do every day… And I think the Two extra Thunderbolt ports on the Ultra are a big Pro to the only 4 on the Max.
These prices make the M1 iMac 24" look pretty good. You can get an entire computer for these prices! I do like the IO with the Mac Studio but for me I would have to buy a good 4K Monitor and a keyboard which would raise the price but at the same time I would be future proofing myself with 32GB RAM, 10Gbps Ethernet and all that IO. Not bad. I am a Windows 10 Pro user right now but if the Mac Studio can give me Internet and Visual Studio for my website, then I'm all set.
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 TH-camrs 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.
I don’t recall the storage of each of the machines, if they were identical or not. Be aware that for some benchmarks the I/O component has more of an impact for storage, and other things it’ll be the CPU or GPU that’s the limiting factor. As such, it makes it important to optimize for what your bottleneck is, because it’s a waste of money and a waste of time otherwise. I’d be curious to see performance differences between different SSD sizes, as it may be that the bigger they are, the more channels/chips they use and thus faster. In the right context, perhaps maxing out storage and keeping the M1 Max is a better result than minimum storage on a maxed out M1 Ultra Mac Studio.
It is only half the price if you compare base model ultra to max, but most users make some changes (maybe 64gb or up'ing the SSD storage), so if you compare apples to apples where the configuration is the same (outside GPU and CPU cores)... the difference is $1400. (using Max 64gb/1tb vs Ultra 64gb/1tb).
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!
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.
This video makes me really want to see how the 32 core M1 Max Studio would perform in comparison to the others that you tested here. Is the extra 8 GPU cores worth the $200????
Here is my two cents. I don't know what kind of work that you do but 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. Just thought I'd throw this out there.
Hey Luke have you noticed audible fan noise on the base model Mac Studio (Max)? My fans seem to always be running audibly (albeit quietly) even under minimal load (like a few chrome tabs). And Macs Fan Control reports a steady 1300 RPM on both fans
I’m a producer using Logic Pro X. Logic is not very graphics dependent so the 10 core M1 Pro and Max perform almost identical. There is however a significant price difference up to $900 (looking at the MacBook’s) So I am surprised that Apple did not make a $1200 Mac Studio with 10 core M1 Pro available. Maybe it is availability or maybe they did not want to make it to cheap compared to the ultra. But it is a bummer anyway. I’m not going to pay $900 extra to get absolutely nothing. Maybe they will come up with this version later this year or introduce a M1 Pro mini. Lets see.
Thanks for the comparison video. The only problem I have with these choices is... I do not have a choice. I need 128 GB of RAM for a large orchestral template for my composing work. If there was an option for 128 GB of RAM on the M1 Max Mac Studio, I would get the cheaper machine.
I‘m in the same situation. The 64 GB is too much of a risk and the day a template goes over that limit I‘d be upset. Interested that you haven‘t pointed out that 20 cores also safeguards against CPU overload with those large templates that get you up over 64GB of RAM in the first place. Just saying it‘s the core count and the RAM together that make the Ultra the best option for large orchestral templates…
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!
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.
My sentiments are similar. RIP to the iMac 27 (I have three iMac 27s on my desktop right now). At least for now. I hope that they bring it back or maybe something bigger. But they're making bank on eliminating it from their product line. I can't see myself needing the performance of the M1 Max. I can't imagine the M1 Ultra. One other potential option if you want an M1 Pro Studio would be to buy two M1 minis and use them together if you can partition your workload.
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.
nice to see some Benchmarks i preordered the Studio M1 max {32c GPU} 64gb ram .1.TB storage being honest this is linked with my LG Ultra HD OLED HDR TV .
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 😬
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?
I think the big question is will we see AR, VR and 3D Modeling advance enough in 2 years making the Ultra a good buy, or is it all further out than that. How quickly will Apples VR OS happen. And does Apple have a big announcement around the corner that could utilize the Ultra? I am buying an Ultra because I plan to have it for at least 4 years and if it takes me into the future if AR, VR and Solid Modeling I made a good investment, I hope.
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...
UPDATE!! I Isolated out an issue that was causing the slow export times on both the Mac Studio and the Intel MacBook Pro. It turns out that if you add the "Outline" effect to a title the export becomes more than twice as long for some reason. So the Mac Studio with M1 Max is now twice as fast as the Intel MacBook Pro I was comparing it to. The M1 Max now exports the same 6:30 minute clip in 53 seconds and on the Intel MacBook Pro it now takes 1:10 minutes instead of 4:23 minutes. Super happy I found this out! My recommendation to anyone using Final Cut Pro is not to use the "outline" effect on a title if at all possible otherwise your export times will be much longer. 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 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. My expectations were super high for this but seeing as it is slower than older Intel machines when it comes to H.264 footage I may end up returning it until a fix comes to change this.
Luke, I was thinking the M1 chip rollout would rollout would be underwhelming and/or priced obnoxiously, so just before the M1 Mini hit, I ordered the top of the line Intel i7, 32Gb/1TB for, uh, $$nevermind, and seemingly days later, the economical M1 Mini appeared and nearly sent me over a cliff. Anyway, after juggling some trade-ins, returns, adjs, begging, wailing, and gnashing of teeth later I was in the operating bliss of a nifty little M1 Mini. With the 2022 models, looking for a Mini upgrade, I maxxed the spec of the new M1 Mini expecting a trade-up, but then the Studio came out… and while a maxxed M1 is still cheaper than a Studio, but not by much given what you get. The M1 Max studio is a such a giant leap, and if you were stretching for a loaded M1 Mini, stretching a little more for a Studio is still that much more financially painful, but what’s the argument not to do it? 1. I don’t eat for a month, 2. It’s too powerful, 3. I don’t need all that power, and 4. If I had more power, I’d just watch more cat videos and Russian women’s volleyball. BUT, as I’ve heard from others, more power overhead increases your productivity (whatever that means for you personally, but it’s a matter of fact). So I’m looking forward to doing the things I do better and faster, and things maybe I never thought to do as becoming common tasks or hobbies I can grow into instead of saying I don’t have the tech to do it. [Also, for those of you out there upgrading, don’t forget the Apple trade-in - not a lot, but sometimes a couple hundred makes a big diff.] THANKS LUKE! 🤘 (new subscriber)
Thanks! Your testing was suspicions confirmed. The $2K base model studio upgraded with a 1TB SSD (okay, $2.2K) is a good deal, but overkill. Most of us could get by nicely with an M1 Pro in a Mac Mini that had 3 or 4 TB4 ports. Most computer users don't need all those GPUs, and apps that do word processing or spreadsheets mostly use a single CPU core. Editing a few family pictures and possibly editing iPhone shots of the grand kids using iMovie who needs more than an M1 Pro?
Ultimately, the M1 mini without a Pro upgrade is a great system for most use cases that aren't professionally oriented... And, for a Mac, it's dirty cheap.
I initially ordered the base 24-core M1 Max but canceled and reordered the 32-core with 1TB SSD because why skimp to save a few Benjamins on an already massive purchase that isn't user upgradeable? It'll take a lot longer to arrive, I'd have gotten the base unit on the 18th, but I think it'll be worth the wait and the extra cost.
Hi Luke, Jose from Puerto Rico. I pre-ordered the base 2000 dollar version. The only thing I did was bump it up to 64gb of ram and 1Tb storage. It bumped up the price to, $2599. I'm upgrading from a mid-2014 MacBook Pro that has a dead battery running plugged to the wall socket. So in my case, this will be my first experience with the new M1 chip. I went for the base model, since I don't do video editing of any kind and I would only use it for Photography. In this case, only for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic editing. I will fix the laptop and keep it as a backup if everything were to go south. I'm curious to see how it will go for me. Thanks for all your videos.
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.
Thanks Luke. You confirmed I made the right decision. I ordered a Mac Studio With Max chip, 32gpu, 64gig ram and 2tb ssd. Can’t wait to get it at end of month.
It's all about optimisation, so wait for newer versions for the new machines. Fcpx had already a beta version that some tested and shows the real power of ultra.
Just a few points (questions). This is a stacked system so the main benefits may not be, at least at the moment, faster GPU rendering, but mainly that it can do twice as much in real-time due to the dual chipsets. So for instance, as Apple suggested, you can run eight streams of 4K simultaneously where you would only be able to do four on the Max. This is clearly a niche "pro" user case, but is a clear advantage. Also, this inference means that you can playback more streams which will kick in the second GPU chip to handle that extra load. I feel that this device is aimed at specific pro cases and just making conclusions on rendering times is a very narrow field of view. Maybe with developer updates the two GPU chips could be used in unison to get added value there as well. Again the whole point of the extra layer of multi-core CPUs maybe to do more not to do twice as fast? Just my 10 cents worth.
I ordered the Mac Studio with M1 Max and 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine and I am absolutely sure the computing power will be enough for my projects for the next 6 years (graphic design, 3D rendering, self-publishing, video editing).
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!
Great video and comparisons for those looking for iMac Pro; MacPro replacements. But really for most people the m1 mac mini is a sweet sweet machine. Silent and powerful. Nothing on the PC side touches it at that price point.
Is this an issue that can be improved with even more App Optimization ? .... Is there anything left for Apple Software engineers to squeeze out the M1 Ultra Architecture? Maybe there is an "overclock" option available only to Apple? If FCP exports were even 33% faster...I think that would be more satisfying and help justify the Ultra's price.
For my use there definitely won't be much difference between the MAX and Ultra, 5-10% of cases maybe. But still have to debate if I should go for the base 32GB RAM or bite the bullet and get the 64GB upgrade.
i got the M1 Max Studio 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD and upgraded to 32-core GPU. My use case is DaVinci Resolve video editing, VFX and Blender 3D. I think this works fine.
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?
Hi Luke, people on various forums are complaining that at idle, the fans on the Max are noticeably audible and louder than on the Ultra. As you have both, please could you confirm if that's the case? Thank you
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.
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!
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...
Get a real job.
Just give us a 32” iMac.
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).
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...
Beautifully stated - one of these TH-camrs 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.
Good points well made. TH-camrs 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.
@@tbirdparis Damn...a musical arrangement that "could choke a 10 CPU core machine" - now that's a video I want to see!
@@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.
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.
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.
Yes, agreed.
Also agree! Been looking for one video that show that
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.
@@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.
@@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
It’s crazy how the pro in a laptop & a max in a desktop are the ones to go for.
Exactly, Not sure I agree
@@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
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.
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.
@@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..
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.
That’s exactly what I was thinking the entire video!!
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.
Yes! Even M1 is fine with 4K unless you are doing something crazy with Pro Res or Multi-Cam.
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.
are there game development tools have been optimised for native arm architecture ?
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!
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).
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.
Respect it must be a right decision. Spend $2k for high quality monitor and keboard.
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.
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.
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 ;)
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.
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??
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
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).
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!
Hardly anyone compares Davinci results using noise reduction which is really taxing on performance. It would great to see more of that.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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 ✊.
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.
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
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.
Lol I just ordered the same specs … was on the fence on the ultra … but saved about 800 . Should be fine for awhile !
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 TH-cam 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 $2K Mac Studio to learn how significant the difference is for every day design performance in apps like Photoshop and Illustrator as well as for modern video and audio. Thanks!
after watching your video I am going with Mac Studio Max with 32C and 64GB RAM. That is enough for me
Everyone is running the same benchmarks. Geekbench, Cinebench, Blender, Pugetbench and video rendering.
Some new things to try, that might be valuable to some people (at least to me):
* Benchmark music production, create new benchmark if needed. Try individual VST:s and focus on the CPU heavy ones? Diva, Spire, Serum, etc. Measure how many instances it can handle. Or measure render time for a project.
* Open a large scene in Unity, compare time to open. Press play, compare time until playable.
* Compile different projects, not just Mozilla. Test a large .NET project, a large Java project, a large Python project, etc.
* Try more games, but focus on the ones with Apple silicon/Metal native ports. Maybe som Apple arcade games?
And make sure to compare it with Intel macs. I think a lot of people are looking into if its worth to upgrade from their existing Mac, which probably isn't M1 Max. Compare to iMac and 16-inch Intel MBP.
Thank you, Luke, for this insight. My guess with the ULTRA is that you're not getting double the speed but maybe when exporting or rendering things you can still work on a new project at the same level of power....Maybe that's what the extra 2000$ are for... whats your thought on that?
ADD ON: or we are lacking software updates
Is it worth spending 600 bucks on upgrading RAM to 64 and SSD to 1 tb for M1 Max version in terms of video editing?
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.
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.
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!)
On a side note, your video quality is insane and by far the absolute best I’ve ever seen on TH-cam with my 77 LX CX. Bravo!!!
Great video. Given the two extremes, Max vs Ultra, what would you expect the difference to be with Lightroom, Photoshop or Corel Painter?
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.
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…
Your FCP tests are using an old version of the app, the optimised version has not yet been released, check the FCP versio used in the press release.
Hey there Luke. I've been watching your videos and have appreciated your insight. I moved back to MAC from PC and have found that there are some decent deals on preowned MAC hardware. For example, I got an M1-Max studio with 10cpu/32gpu/64gb ram and 2TB drive for $2300, and an 18core iMac Pro Vega64x/64gb/2tb for $1300. These were test buys to see if moving the workflow back to MAC was going to work, and so far, so good. I will need one more MAC Stuido at some point, not in a hurry, and I'm looking at the M2 version as prices on those are also getting "good." For that final Mac Studio purchase, what are your thoughts? This video on max vs. ultra has me wondering if trying to max out with the ultra is worth the extra $$. Whatever I get needs to last for the next several years and just be able to crank out work product. Again, I'm curious about your thoughts on this.
Cheers
Rick
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.
Thank you for doing this review, I haven’t seen any other TH-camrs 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!
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 👍🏼
The fact is that as far as 3D goes and rendering specifically, benchmarks are a good jumping iff point, but real world rendering tests are going to be more predictive of how useful this hardware is/will be. The problem is that Apple simply doesn’t have the horses right now to really put these things to good use in 3D to know how beneficial or not they are.
Nvidia has a substantial lead in software/hardware collaboration resulting in unique performance high marks within the 3D industry that neither Apple nor AMD can match in a lot of cases.
Will Arnold render for Maya rendering a dense scene on an M1 Ultra stand up to a similarly spec’d PC cpu with an Nvidia RTX3060-3090 with all their Optix/CUDA,/Tensor advantages? Don’t know, but I’d sure like see.
Yeah I'm new to 3D and have most from mostly photography to animation/after affects and main reason I'm upgrading my old mac book pro to the m1 max studio but not the ultra. I can still spec out M1 Max and save $1400 and get a prebuilt gaming PC for about as much with a 3060 depending how much my work goes into 3D throughout the year.
@@alimp7118 Yep, that’s pretty much been my formula and likely a lot of other people’s too. Hopefully, the Mac Pro launch in August maybe will reveal some software developments that will at least outline a path where 3D users can comfortably go all in on the MacOS if they would prefer. We’ll have to wait and see.
The long-term problem with the iMac format is that to upgrade the CPU/GPU one needed to purchase a new 27" 5K display with every upgrade, even if the previous iMac display was still good. Separating the display from the engine is ultimately the best long-term strategy, not only for cash outlay but also for waste. I have both the Studio and XDR displays, and expect them to last for many years and over several CPU/GPU upgrades.
i have had my Ultra for a few months. 64 gb ram and 4TB ssd. had 2016 iMac before - 32 gb ram 1 TB ssd. Shooting-processing... bracketed real estate photos at 42mb (500-+ per shoot) and lots of 4k video. scroll bars zip along much faster. export and import is rapid. no fan kick-in. no waiting for image to preview in LR. is it a massive difference? no. but it IS a welcome increase in workflow speed. perhaps the base would be about the same. dunno. but i went for future-proofing. i like performance. i just ordered a Porsche Macan S with the 2.9 T six vs. the base 4 cylinder. i never regret spending on speed and torque.
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 🙏🏻
I get the cost side of going for the base model, but when you are working at a company or with a specific professional program, you expect it to behave a certain way, and if not, you're going to be told you need more of this. (replace this with a computer upgrade). For me, I feel safer upgrading my macs, but if I was using it for light home/personal use, yes, I might buy a baseline model.
I heard someone say they recently bought a new MacBook, but it could not handle photoshop well because it did not have enough ram. Don’t be that person who buys baseline, but your use case requires more. We all know macs are pricy, but they are worth it.
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?
I thought a 200 dollar bump from a 24gpu to 32 core is a smart move for the max studio, I paired mine with the 64ram with 1T for 3,047. Just gotta wait till june😩
Yeah definitely the unbinned Max is the balanced choice. I’m still thinking of waiting for a Mac mini M1 Pro which is really all I’d need but I think this will probably tip me over the edge for the full fat M1 Max Studio.
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.
I would like to know the difference between the Max and Ultra in the following case:
You are exporting a 4K clip (h264) in FCPX
And transcode some clips in Media Encoder of Compressor at the same time.
This is something I do every day…
And I think the Two extra Thunderbolt ports on the Ultra are a big Pro to the only 4 on the Max.
These prices make the M1 iMac 24" look pretty good. You can get an entire computer for these prices! I do like the IO with the Mac Studio but for me I would have to buy a good 4K Monitor and a keyboard which would raise the price but at the same time I would be future proofing myself with 32GB RAM, 10Gbps Ethernet and all that IO. Not bad. I am a Windows 10 Pro user right now but if the Mac Studio can give me Internet and Visual Studio for my website, then I'm all set.
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!
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 TH-camrs 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.
Why is the front light flickering constantly?
I don’t recall the storage of each of the machines, if they were identical or not.
Be aware that for some benchmarks the I/O component has more of an impact for storage, and other things it’ll be the CPU or GPU that’s the limiting factor. As such, it makes it important to optimize for what your bottleneck is, because it’s a waste of money and a waste of time otherwise.
I’d be curious to see performance differences between different SSD sizes, as it may be that the bigger they are, the more channels/chips they use and thus faster. In the right context, perhaps maxing out storage and keeping the M1 Max is a better result than minimum storage on a maxed out M1 Ultra Mac Studio.
Have you thought about using HDR or HLG in your videos? It might help them look even better! Keep up the great content.
It is only half the price if you compare base model ultra to max, but most users make some changes (maybe 64gb or up'ing the SSD storage), so if you compare apples to apples where the configuration is the same (outside GPU and CPU cores)... the difference is $1400. (using Max 64gb/1tb vs Ultra 64gb/1tb).
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!
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.
For 4K video editing in DaVinci Resolve, does it make sense to pay extra $200 and get 32 core GPU?
This video makes me really want to see how the 32 core M1 Max Studio would perform in comparison to the others that you tested here. Is the extra 8 GPU cores worth the $200????
Here is my two cents. I don't know what kind of work that you do but 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. Just thought I'd throw this out there.
Hey Luke have you noticed audible fan noise on the base model Mac Studio (Max)? My fans seem to always be running audibly (albeit quietly) even under minimal load (like a few chrome tabs). And Macs Fan Control reports a steady 1300 RPM on both fans
Mine run all the time as well, I think that is normal so that it keeps cool. I can’t hear them at all though.
I’m a producer using Logic Pro X. Logic is not very graphics dependent so the 10 core M1 Pro and Max perform almost identical. There is however a significant price difference up to $900 (looking at the MacBook’s) So I am surprised that Apple did not make a $1200 Mac Studio with 10 core M1 Pro available. Maybe it is availability or maybe they did not want to make it to cheap compared to the ultra. But it is a bummer anyway. I’m not going to pay $900 extra to get absolutely nothing. Maybe they will come up with this version later this year or introduce a M1 Pro mini. Lets see.
Thanks for the comparison video. The only problem I have with these choices is... I do not have a choice. I need 128 GB of RAM for a large orchestral template for my composing work. If there was an option for 128 GB of RAM on the M1 Max Mac Studio, I would get the cheaper machine.
I‘m in the same situation. The 64 GB is too much of a risk and the day a template goes over that limit I‘d be upset. Interested that you haven‘t pointed out that 20 cores also safeguards against CPU overload with those large templates that get you up over 64GB of RAM in the first place. Just saying it‘s the core count and the RAM together that make the Ultra the best option for large orchestral templates…
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
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!
The smoke effect with the Mac Studio makes it look hot. Literally...like you lit it on fire!!
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.
My sentiments are similar. RIP to the iMac 27 (I have three iMac 27s on my desktop right now). At least for now. I hope that they bring it back or maybe something bigger. But they're making bank on eliminating it from their product line. I can't see myself needing the performance of the M1 Max. I can't imagine the M1 Ultra. One other potential option if you want an M1 Pro Studio would be to buy two M1 minis and use them together if you can partition your workload.
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.
nice to see some Benchmarks i preordered the Studio M1 max {32c GPU} 64gb ram .1.TB storage being honest this is linked with my LG Ultra HD OLED HDR TV .
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 😬
You’re not going broke, you’re just gonna return the units🤷🏻♂️
Aka like all the youtubers 😂
Just ordered the Max based on Luke's presentation, but upped the RAM from the base to 1 TB.
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?
Does the light always flash like that? That’s soooo annoying!!
I think the big question is will we see AR, VR and 3D Modeling advance enough in 2 years making the Ultra a good buy, or is it all further out than that. How quickly will Apples VR OS happen. And does Apple have a big announcement around the corner that could utilize the Ultra? I am buying an Ultra because I plan to have it for at least 4 years and if it takes me into the future if AR, VR and Solid Modeling I made a good investment, I hope.
I'm looking to do the ULTRA based on future use as well. Just hard to decide if 64GB vs 128GB is really worth it.
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...
UPDATE!! I Isolated out an issue that was causing the slow export times on both the Mac Studio and the Intel MacBook Pro. It turns out that if you add the "Outline" effect to a title the export becomes more than twice as long for some reason. So the Mac Studio with M1 Max is now twice as fast as the Intel MacBook Pro I was comparing it to. The M1 Max now exports the same 6:30 minute clip in 53 seconds and on the Intel MacBook Pro it now takes 1:10 minutes instead of 4:23 minutes. Super happy I found this out! My recommendation to anyone using Final Cut Pro is not to use the "outline" effect on a title if at all possible otherwise your export times will be much longer.
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 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. My expectations were super high for this but seeing as it is slower than older Intel machines when it comes to H.264 footage I may end up returning it until a fix comes to change this.
Do you think that once software developers update to be more optimized the $4k m1 ultra is gonna crush it?
Luke, I was thinking the M1 chip rollout would rollout would be underwhelming and/or priced obnoxiously, so just before the M1 Mini hit, I ordered the top of the line Intel i7, 32Gb/1TB for, uh, $$nevermind, and seemingly days later, the economical M1 Mini appeared and nearly sent me over a cliff. Anyway, after juggling some trade-ins, returns, adjs, begging, wailing, and gnashing of teeth later I was in the operating bliss of a nifty little M1 Mini. With the 2022 models, looking for a Mini upgrade, I maxxed the spec of the new M1 Mini expecting a trade-up, but then the Studio came out… and while a maxxed M1 is still cheaper than a Studio, but not by much given what you get. The M1 Max studio is a such a giant leap, and if you were stretching for a loaded M1 Mini, stretching a little more for a Studio is still that much more financially painful, but what’s the argument not to do it? 1. I don’t eat for a month, 2. It’s too powerful, 3. I don’t need all that power, and 4. If I had more power, I’d just watch more cat videos and Russian women’s volleyball. BUT, as I’ve heard from others, more power overhead increases your productivity (whatever that means for you personally, but it’s a matter of fact). So I’m looking forward to doing the things I do better and faster, and things maybe I never thought to do as becoming common tasks or hobbies I can grow into instead of saying I don’t have the tech to do it. [Also, for those of you out there upgrading, don’t forget the Apple trade-in - not a lot, but sometimes a couple hundred makes a big diff.] THANKS LUKE! 🤘 (new subscriber)
Thanks! Your testing was suspicions confirmed. The $2K base model studio upgraded with a 1TB SSD (okay, $2.2K) is a good deal, but overkill. Most of us could get by nicely with an M1 Pro in a Mac Mini that had 3 or 4 TB4 ports. Most computer users don't need all those GPUs, and apps that do word processing or spreadsheets mostly use a single CPU core. Editing a few family pictures and possibly editing iPhone shots of the grand kids using iMovie who needs more than an M1 Pro?
Ultimately, the M1 mini without a Pro upgrade is a great system for most use cases that aren't professionally oriented... And, for a Mac, it's dirty cheap.
I initially ordered the base 24-core M1 Max but canceled and reordered the 32-core with 1TB SSD because why skimp to save a few Benjamins on an already massive purchase that isn't user upgradeable? It'll take a lot longer to arrive, I'd have gotten the base unit on the 18th, but I think it'll be worth the wait and the extra cost.
Should have stuck with the base and just gotten a 2tb external SSD for the same price as the upgrade.
Hi Luke, Jose from Puerto Rico. I pre-ordered the base 2000 dollar version. The only thing I did was bump it up to 64gb of ram and 1Tb storage. It bumped up the price to, $2599. I'm upgrading from a mid-2014 MacBook Pro that has a dead battery running plugged to the wall socket. So in my case, this will be my first experience with the new M1 chip. I went for the base model, since I don't do video editing of any kind and I would only use it for Photography. In this case, only for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic editing. I will fix the laptop and keep it as a backup if everything were to go south. I'm curious to see how it will go for me. Thanks for all your videos.
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.
Thanks Luke. You confirmed I made the right decision. I ordered a Mac Studio With Max chip, 32gpu, 64gig ram and 2tb ssd. Can’t wait to get it at end of month.
It's all about optimisation, so wait for newer versions for the new machines. Fcpx had already a beta version that some tested and shows the real power of ultra.
Just a few points (questions). This is a stacked system so the main benefits may not be, at least at the moment, faster GPU rendering, but mainly that it can do twice as much in real-time due to the dual chipsets. So for instance, as Apple suggested, you can run eight streams of 4K simultaneously where you would only be able to do four on the Max. This is clearly a niche "pro" user case, but is a clear advantage. Also, this inference means that you can playback more streams which will kick in the second GPU chip to handle that extra load. I feel that this device is aimed at specific pro cases and just making conclusions on rendering times is a very narrow field of view.
Maybe with developer updates the two GPU chips could be used in unison to get added value there as well. Again the whole point of the extra layer of multi-core CPUs maybe to do more not to do twice as fast? Just my 10 cents worth.
I ordered the Mac Studio with M1 Max and 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine and I am absolutely sure the computing power will be enough for my projects for the next 6 years (graphic design, 3D rendering, self-publishing, video editing).
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!
I came from Genius Bar just to say how epic that fog machine intro was! Well done!
Great reviews! Really awesome.
Great video and comparisons for those looking for iMac Pro; MacPro replacements. But really for most people the m1 mac mini is a sweet sweet machine. Silent and powerful. Nothing on the PC side touches it at that price point.
Is this an issue that can be improved with even more App Optimization ? .... Is there anything left for Apple Software engineers to squeeze out the M1 Ultra Architecture? Maybe there is an "overclock" option available only to Apple? If FCP exports were even 33% faster...I think that would be more satisfying and help justify the Ultra's price.
Thanks for answering the question I had: the difference between same-spec Max SoC in the Studio and in the MacBook Pro form factors.
For my use there definitely won't be much difference between the MAX and Ultra, 5-10% of cases maybe.
But still have to debate if I should go for the base 32GB RAM or bite the bullet and get the 64GB upgrade.
i got the M1 Max Studio 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD and upgraded to 32-core GPU. My use case is DaVinci Resolve video editing, VFX and Blender 3D. I think this works fine.
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?
Hi Luke, people on various forums are complaining that at idle, the fans on the Max are noticeably audible and louder than on the Ultra. As you have both, please could you confirm if that's the case? Thank you
Once more a great review. But what about the performance in Logic Pro?
Awesome review with a completely clear explanation of the results
I was thinking about the full fat Max version and this solidifies that decision.
Thanks Luke I will get the Max Studio M1 Max and use my iMac 27" 5K 2020 as my monitor.
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.