![]() The machine worked as expected and never once did I hear the fan - and CPU use barely registered. I opened 25 tabs on Microsoft Edge for my everyday use test while also starting Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop. I finished my tests by running standard third-party benchmark tests on the machine, including Blackmagic, Cinebench, and Geekbench 5. My hands-on tests have included using the Mac Studio as my primary computer, then kicking things into a higher gear by opening multiple projects in resource-hungry apps. The M1 Ultra is the fastest chip Apple has ever made, and after a series of tests, I can confirm its billing as being able to "power through workflows on an unprecedented scale." However, I can also attest to what other Mac Studio reviewers have said: It's not as speedy as a handful of Windows-based machines. The review unit also contained a maximum of 128GB of uniform RAM. Apple sent me a souped-up Mac Studio model that includes an M1 Ultra system-on-a-chip that offers a 20-core CPU, 48-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine. Undoubtedly, the Mac Studio will mostly get judged by its software and performance, not by whether it looks spectacular sitting on a desk. Mac Studio Back (Image credit: Bryan M Woolfe/iMore) Stupid, no? Mac Studio: Software and performance And the newest Magic Mouse retains the most prominent design flaw of all current Magic Mouse models: the Lightning port is at the bottom of the accessory, which means you can't use it while charging. Given its price point, it's peculiar that the keyboard lacks a backlight, which makes little sense. Although neither accessory ships with the Mac Studio, it's nearly certain many buyers will add these to their cart at the time of purchase. The other two issues have to do with the matching Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. ![]() The Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse offer no significant upgrades other than coming in black. Adding a thin strip of rubber around each port might have gone a long way in fixing this minor problem. Unfortunately, this can lead to scratches being made on the Mac Studio by cords as they struggle to fit into the holes. First, the tiny USB-C ports on the machine's front are very difficult to find in a darkened room. Three things bother me about the Mac Studio from a design perspective, and only one of these has to do with the actual box. And yet, it works and was undoubtedly designed to fade into the background. The Mac Studio's look won't turn many heads like previous professional-based Macs, such as the cylinder-based second-generation Mac Pro. It also says "Mac Studio" in big letters on the bottom for a nice touch. As a bonus, the circular base underneath is tapered to improve airflow. The Mac Studio looks fantastic underneath the Mac Studio display.įinally, there are grills on the back and bottom of the Mac Studio for cooling. On the M1 Ultra, you'll receive support for Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s). If you go with the M1 Max, these ports support USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s). On the front is an SDXC card slot (UHS-II) and two USB-C ports, which depending on the model you buy varies. The power button is also on the back of the device, as is the power plug. The back of the Mac Studio offers four Thunderbolt 4 ports with support for Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40GB/s), DisplayPort, and USB 4 (up to 40GB/s), plus an HDMI port, 10GB Ethernet, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack that supports high-impedance headphones or speakers. Not surprisingly, it looks fantastic underneath the gorgeous Mac Studio display. ![]() Regardless, the Mac Studio is ideally suited to sit below a monitor or on either side. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with the black Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad ($199), Magic Mouse ($99), Magic Trackpad ($149), or the Studio Pro monitor (starting at $1,599), which were all announced on the same day as the Mac Studio. The Mac Studio has a price range of $1,999 to $7,999 depending on whether you select an Apple M1 Max or M1 Ultra processor, plus the amount of unified memory and SSD storage. ![]() Apple Mac Studio (Silver) at Best Buy for $1,999.99 (opens in new tab).Dilettantes and hobbyists, however, are probably better off with something cheaper, as they're unlikely to make full use of, and get enough value from, the Mac Studio's impressive capabilities Mac Studio: Price and availability We'll save you some time right now: if you can afford the price of admission, this is a best-in-class tool for professional creatives and power users. Many quickly began to ask whether the Mac Studio was a suitable replacement for the Intel-based Mac Pro or whether creatives should wait for an Apple silicon version of that machine before buying something new.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |