Mac Studio (2025)

Apple's compact desktop is the fastest Mac it's ever made — and how

- ROB MEAD-GREEN

From $1,999 From www.apple.com

Features M4 Max or M3 Ultra chip, up to 148GB of memory (M4 Max with 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU); up to 512GB of memory (M3 Ultra with 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU), up to 16TB of storage (M3 Ultra)

FOR MOST OF us, an iMac, Mac mini, or one of Apple's notebook Macs is all the computer we'll ever need, but if you spend your days flinging photos, videos, and large language models (LLMs) around, then the new Mac Studio is the obvious choice — even if it'll cost you a pretty penny to do so.

While superficially, the Mac Studio and Mac mini share a similar aesthetic, in reality the Mac Studio is much larger, measuring 7.7x7.7x3.7 inches, and weighing up to 6.1 pounds or 8 pounds (depending on configuration), making it look positively chunky when compared to the mini's 5x5x2-inch footprint and 1.6 pound weight. While the Mac's mini's front panel looks proportionate to its size, the Mac Studio has a large “forehead” sitting above the front I/O ports and behind which sits the phenomenal amount of tech Apple has squirreled away inside.

TAKE YOUR PICK

There are two main models of Mac Studio to choose from: one with an M4 Max chip inside (with prices starting at $1,999 for a model equpped with a 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB of memory and 512GB of storage); and one with an M3 Ultra inside, with prices starting at $3,999 for a model equipped with a 28-core CPU, 60-core GPU M4 Ultra chip, 96GB of unified memory, and 1TB of storage.

The new Mac Studio is the most powerful Apple silicon Mac yet — and it'll fly through almost any task you throw at it.