Last year's Mac Studio was the super-powered Mac mini that many Apple fans were begging for. But, for the most demanding users, it was unclear if it was worth shelling out $3,999 for the high-end Mac Studio with an M1 Ultra chip, or if they should just wait for the inevitable Mac Pro refresh. Now that Apple has revamped the Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra chip, the company's desktop lineup finally has something for everyone.
At the most basic level, there's the $599 Mac Mini. If you need a bit more power, you can get that same slim machine with an M2 Pro chip for $1,299. Meanwhile, all-in-one fans have several iMacs to choose from, starting at $1,299 (but there, too, it's probably worth waiting for an M2 spec bump).
Apple Mac Studio (2023)
Pros
- M2 Ultra chip is an excellent upgrade
- 32GB of RAM by default
- Compact and quiet case
- Excellent port selection
Cons
- No internal expansion for memory or storage
- Headphone jack on the rear
- Front Thunderbolt 4 ports limited to M2 Ultra
That leaves the $1,999 Mac Studio as the ideal machine for Apple power users. It'll be enough for video editing work, and it also comes standard with 32GB of RAM. (It could use more than 512GB of storage, though.) Step up to the $3,999 model with an M2 Ultra chip, and you've got a system that can destroy just about any task you put in front of it. The few professional users who need PCIe expansion can now opt for the M2 Ultra-equipped Mac Pro, which starts at an eye-watering $6,999.
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