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Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely): Two-minute overview
Apple’s announcement of a brand new Mac Studio for 2025 took lots of people abruptly. Whereas many people had assumed (accurately) that Apple was gearing as much as announce new M4-powered MacBook Airs, few have been anticipating a brand new Mac Studio.
That’s comprehensible – by its very nature, the Mac Studio is a product that is geared toward a extra area of interest market than a skinny and lightweight laptop computer. Mac Studio units are {powerful}, professional-grade computer systems that provide a stage of efficiency that was as soon as solely present in Mac Professional desktop PCs, however constructed into a trendy and compact physique that appears like a super-sized (but nonetheless small) Mac mini.
The most recent Mac Studio continues that custom. The design retains the long-lasting (and technically spectacular, contemplating the {hardware}) compact look of earlier Mac Studios, with dimensions of three.7 x 7.7 x 7.7 inches (9.5 x 19.7 x 19.7cm) and a weight beginning at 6.1lbs / 2.74kg. It’s a tool that may have a look at residence in any trendy workplace or studio, and its measurement means it may be simply put in, and moved, wherever and everytime you need.
You might be, nonetheless, lacking out on the modular and upgradable nature of desktop PCs. You gained’t be capable to swap out the GPU or enhance the inner storage in a number of 12 months’s time – two upgrades that are comparatively easy with conventional PCs.
That stated, for many individuals one of many upsides of shopping for a Mac is that they needn’t fiddle round with inner parts, and an absence of upgradability is a small value to pay for a compact gadget that is well-built and works dependably. And, relying on the configuration choices you select when shopping for your Mac Studio, it’s unlikely that you simply’ll have to improve for a protracted, very long time.
The brand new Mac Studio comes with a selection of two chips – one which was anticipated, and one which has come as fairly a shock.
The bottom mannequin of the brand new Mac Studio options the M4 Max chip – the identical chip that debuted late final 12 months within the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros. There’s no choice to have the usual M4 or M4 Pro chips, which is consistent with Apple’s pitching the Mac Studio at energy customers and professionals who want the very highest ranges of efficiency. In case your necessities (and price range – I’ll get to costs in a second) are extra modest, then the aforementioned MacBook Execs shall be higher picks; or if you’d like a desktop PC, then the good Mac mini from final 12 months will do the trick, and will be configured with both an M4 or M4 Professional chip.
In response to Apple, the Mac Studio with M4 Max affords 1.6x quicker picture processing in Adobe Photoshop in comparison with the Mac Studio with M1 Max, and a couple of.1x quicker code compilation in Xcode. Video transcoding within the Compressor app is claimed to be 1.2x quicker, and video processing in Topaz Video AI 1.6x quicker.
Whereas any pace enhance that makes workloads quicker is welcome, these aren’t mind-blowing numbers, so most individuals utilizing the now three-year-old Mac Studio (M1 Max) gained’t really feel any urgent have to improve to the M4 Max mannequin, and that shall be much more true for house owners of the Mac Studio (M2 Max). Apple hasn’t equipped efficiency comparisons for that mannequin, however you’d think about the variations are even smaller. That stated, you would argue that this speaks to the longevity of those units, and the excessive price ticket and lack of upgradability of the brand new Mac Studio turns into simpler to swallow if it’s nonetheless going sturdy in 2028 and you don’t have any want or want to improve it.
As with earlier M-class releases, the true leap in efficiency comes when evaluating the Mac Studio with M4 Max to an Intel-based Mac, which Apple stopped producing in 2020 with the launch of the M1 chip.
Once more in keeping with Apple, you’re getting round 3x the efficiency with the Mac Studio M4 Max in comparison with a 27-inch iMac with an Intel Core i9 CPU, with Topaz Video AI processing seeing as much as 5x quicker video rendering. These are all imprecise efficiency guarantees by Apple, so take them with a grain of salt and refer as an alternative to our benchmark assessments beneath, the place you’ll see simply how properly the brand new Mac Studio performs. Nonetheless, taking Apple’s claims as hints of the type of efficiency the brand new Mac Studio is able to suggests that individuals utilizing Intel-based Macs will see the largest profit from upgrading.
Apple additionally stunned us by asserting an much more {powerful} Mac Studio, powered by the brand-new M3 Extremely chip. The explanation why that is notably shocking, and probably complicated, is that the M3 Extremely is, because the identify suggests, primarily based on the earlier era M3 chip structure, moderately than the newer M4.
As with earlier Extremely chips, the M3 Extremely is made up of two Max chips (on this case, two M3 Max chips), that are linked through an ultra-fast bridge to show them right into a single, extraordinarily {powerful}, chip.
So, whilst you’re getting as much as a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 128GB unified reminiscence, 546GB/s reminiscence bandwidth, and 16-core Neural Engine with the M4 Max, the M3 Extremely affords as much as a 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 512GB unified reminiscence, 819GB/s reminiscence bandwidth, and 32-core Neural Engine.
Basically, even with previous-gen tech (the M3 Max was launched in October 2023), the M3 Extremely blows previous the M4 Max. Apple hasn’t defined why it went with M3 moderately than M4 as the bottom, although there have been ideas that the M4 Max lacks the high-speed bridge (known as UltraFusion) wanted to mix two of the chips into an M4 Extremely. Nonetheless, we additionally heard comparable rumors concerning the M3 Max, and that has been confirmed to be incorrect with the announcement of the M3 Extremely.
The M3 structure has seen a number of additions with the M3 Extremely, which makes it capable of compete feature-wise with the M4 Max. The M3 Extremely now helps Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports and speeds of as much as 120Gbps, and helps as much as 512GB of unified reminiscence, each upgrades over the M3 Max.
So, at the moment, essentially the most {powerful} Apple silicon will not be an M4 chip, however an M3 chip, and that may very well be a bit complicated – as such, I’m happy that Apple is being clear concerning the M3 Extremely being primarily based on M3 Max chips, moderately than fudging the naming conventions to name it an M4 Extremely.
Whereas the Mac Studio with M4 Max will provide efficiency that most individuals may not ever want, the M3 Extremely Mac Studio goes even additional, promising to supply the type of efficiency that can solely be wanted by giant enterprises – assume the likes of Pixar with regards to 3D animation, moderately than smaller companies and people, for whom the M4 Max mannequin will doubtless be greater than sufficient.
Worth may also be an element right here, as unsurprisingly these are costly machines which are skilled investments moderately than one thing you’d purchase on a whim. The Mac Studio with M4 Max begins at $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,499 whereas the Mac Studio with M3 Extremely begins at $3,999 / £4,199 / AU$6,999 – and these can all be configured so as to add extra energy (and value).
Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely): Worth and availability
- How a lot does it value? M4 Max mannequin begins at $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,499
- What concerning the M3 Extremely? M3 Extremely mannequin begins at $3,999 / £4,199 / AU$6,999
- When is it accessible? Obtainable to pre-order now, ships March 12, 2025
Apple introduced the brand new Mac Studio on March 5, 2025, and opened preorders on the identical time, with the compact PC occurring sale on March 12, 2025 globally.
The bottom mannequin of the brand new Mac Studio comes with an M4 Max chip that includes a 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, plus 36GB of unified reminiscence and a 512GB SSD, and prices $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,499.
That is basically the identical beginning value because the earlier Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, although there is a slight value enhance for Australian consumers (the M2 Max mannequin value AU$3,299). It’s good to see launch costs stay the identical within the US and UK, and the brand new Mac Studio stays rather a lot cheaper than the $6,999 / £7,199 / AU$11,999 Mac Professional, whereas providing a extra compact design and comparable, if not higher, efficiency.
The extra {powerful} M3 Extremely mannequin of the brand new Mac Studio, in the meantime, begins at $3,999 / £4,199 / AU$6,999. That’s fairly a leap, however the specs go some solution to justify the excessive value (whereas additionally hopefully making it clear that this machine shall be overkill for most individuals). You get the brand new M3 Extremely chip with a 28-core CPU, 60-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine, plus 96GB unified reminiscence, and a 1TB SSD for storage.
As typical, you’ll be able to configure the brand new Mac Studio before you purchase, and contemplating that it’s principally unimaginable to improve the {hardware} inside the machine, it’s vital to ensure you take this chance to regulate the configuration to go well with each your wants and your price range. Including extra {powerful} parts does enhance the value, generally significantly. The fully-maxed-out Mac Studio comes with an M3 Extremely chip with a 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine, 512GB unified reminiscence and 16TB SSD – these are gorgeous specs, and so they include an equally gorgeous price ticket of $14,099 / $14,299 / AU$22,149.
After all, you don’t should max out the entire specs, so that you do have some flexibility; however make no mistake, any configuration of the Mac Studio goes to be extraordinarily costly. It is advisable to see it as an funding for a enterprise or inventive skilled. For particular person customers who need a great-performing compact PC, however don’t want practically the facility on provide with the Mac Studio, then I extremely suggest the latest Mac mini, which comes with an M4 chip beginning at $599 / £599 / AU$999, or with an M4 Professional beginning at $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,199. For my part, the M4 Mac mini stays the perfect Mac Apple has ever made thanks its mixture of value, efficiency, and an all-new design, however inventive professionals on the lookout for extra energy will doubtless want to decide on between the Mac mini M4 Professional or the Mac Studio M4 Max, and in that case the value distinction is smaller, although nonetheless substantial.
What about non-Mac alternate options? The actual fact is that there stays no actual rival to the Mac Studio on this planet of Home windows PCs – nobody else is making compact workstation PCs that provide professional-grade efficiency. Nonetheless, if the dimensions of the machine doesn’t matter, and also you don’t thoughts doing a little bit of tinkering, you would put collectively a workstation PC (or get somebody to construct it for you) that gives comparable ranges of efficiency for much less cash, though you’d miss out on the Mac Studio’s compact design and ease of use.
Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely): Specs
Listed here are the specs for the Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely) at a look.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Base Mannequin |
Assessment Unit |
Prime Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Worth |
$1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,499 |
$8,099 / £8,299 / AU$13,149 |
$14,099 / £14,299 / AU$22,149 |
|
CPU |
M4 Max 14-core |
M3 Extremely 32-core |
M3 Extremely 32-core |
|
GPU |
32-core |
80-core |
80-core |
|
RAM |
36GB unified reminiscence |
256GB unified reminiscence |
512GB unified reminiscence |
|
Storage |
512GB SSD |
4TB SSD |
16TB SSD |
|
Ports |
Entrance: Two USB-C ports, one SDXC card slot. Again: 4 Thunderbolt 5 ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet port, headphone jack |
Entrance: Two Thunderbolt 5 ports, one SDXC card slot. Again: 4 Thunderbolt 5 ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet port, headphone jack |
Entrance: Two Thunderbolt 5 ports, one SDXC card slot. Again: 4 Thunderbolt 5 ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet port, headphone jack |
|
Wi-fi |
Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Weight |
6.1lbs / 2.74kg |
8lbs / 3kg |
8lbs / 3kg |
|
Dimensions |
3.7 x 7.7 x 7.7 inches / 9.5 x 19.7 x 19.7cm |
3.7 x 7.7 x 7.7 inches / 9.5 x 19.7 x 19.7cm |
3.7 x 7.7 x 7.7 inches / 9.5 x 19.7 x 19.7cm |
Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely): Design
- Seems the identical as earlier fashions on the surface
- Now comes with Thunderbolt 5 ports
- M3 Extremely mannequin is barely heavier
Maybe the largest promoting level of each era of Mac Studio has been its design, and whereas the brand new Mac Studio doesn’t function any main modifications, that continues to be true.
It’s a testomony to Apple’s designers and engineers – and to the facility effectivity of M-class chips just like the M4 Max and M3 Extremely, which permits Apple to place {powerful} {hardware} into compact designs with out them overheating.
The most recent Mac Studio is unmistakably an Apple product. Its compact dimensions of three.7 x 7.7 x 7.7 inches / 9.5 x 19.7 x 19.7cm, with a weight beginning at 6.1lbs / 2.74kg means it’s straightforward to search out house for it on a desk, and you’ll cover it behind a monitor if you’d like, and it additionally means it’s straightforward to select up and transfer if wanted.
The silver physique (you don’t get any enjoyable coloration decisions with the Mac Studio, that is all about professionalism) is glossy and minimalist, with a black Apple brand on the highest. On the entrance of the Mac Studio are two USB-C ports (which in the event you get the mannequin with the M3 Extremely shall be Thunderbolt 5), alongside an SDXC reminiscence card slot (all the time welcome for skilled photographers) and a small white LED energy mild.
The rear of the Mac Studio options 4 Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports, a 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports for legacy peripherals, a HDMI port and a headphone jack. A lot of the rear is a grille-like vent that is used to expel scorching air.
The latest Mac mini bought a significant design overhaul to make it look extra just like the Mac Studio, and for essentially the most half the brand new look was a triumph. Nonetheless, Apple’s choice to position the Mac mini’s energy button on the underside of the gadget did frustrate some individuals, as you must carry up the Mac mini to show it on or off.
The excellent news is that Apple hasn’t seen match to maneuver the Mac Studio’s energy button to the underside of the gadget to match the brand new Mac mini – it’s nonetheless situated on the rear of the Mac Studio on the left.
As somebody who likes utilizing huge, ugly desktop PCs I’ve by no means had an issue with having an influence button on the entrance of a tool for straightforward entry, and a few individuals would possibly discover having the button hidden on the rear makes it a bit awkward to achieve. It does imply, although, that the Mac Studio’s entrance seems clear and minimalist, which many Apple followers will recognize, and a minimum of you don’t should carry up the Mac Studio to achieve the button. When you’ve got different Apple units, notably the Studio Show, then the brand new Mac Studio will slot in brilliantly.
The Mac Studio is made with 30% recycled content material, in keeping with Apple, with 100% recycled aluminum used for the case, and doesn’t include mercury or PVC. The packaging can be solely fiber-based, and is a part of the Apple 2030 venture, which goals to make the corporate’s whole carbon footprint impartial by the tip of the last decade.
General, whereas some individuals is likely to be clamoring for a daring redesign, the rationale why the most recent Mac Studio nonetheless seems equivalent to the primary one launched again in 2022 is as a result of, frankly, Apple nailed the design first time. It seems trendy, and extra trendy than any Home windows-based compact PC; and with the Mac mini having just lately been redesigned to look extra just like the Mac Studio, I feel this look goes to stay round for a very long time.
The one main disadvantage with the design is that it’s basically unimaginable to open up the Mac Studio and improve or restore parts. This may not come as a shock to anybody acquainted with Apple’s merchandise, however it does influence the pliability of the Mac Studio when in comparison with conventional tower desktop PCs, that are often fairly easy to improve. It additionally undermines Apple’s environmental credentials a bit, although the corporate does provide an improve program whereby you’ll be able to commerce in your older Mac for cash off the brand new mannequin.
Additionally, regardless of the brand new Mac Studio coming with a few of the newest and strongest parts available on the market, Apple’s designers have for some motive determined to stay with older wi-fi know-how: Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3, which implies you are lacking out on the efficiency advantages of Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Whereas the wi-fi tech in a professional-grade workstation may not be on the prime of most individuals’s listing of priorities (you will doubtless be utilizing an Ethernet cable for networking), it is nonetheless a little bit of an odd omission contemplating the no-holds-barred design method Apple has taken to the remainder of the Mac Studio’s design.
Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely): Efficiency
- The M3 Extremely is now essentially the most {powerful} chip Apple has ever made
- It is more likely to be overkill for most individuals
- The brand new Mac Studio stays quiet even when beneath load
Once I realized that Apple was sending me the brand new Mac Studio with the M3 Extremely chip, I used to be each excited and apprehensive. Excited as a result of I actually wished to see what such a robust, even over-the-top, piece of silicon may do.
Whereas the M4 Max chip is actually no slouch, we’ve had the possibility to see the way it performs for the reason that launch of final 12 months’s MacBook Execs. Nonetheless, the M3 Extremely, regardless of being primarily based on the older M3 Max chip, is solely uncharted territory, and has the potential to blow Apple’s different chips out of the water with regards to pure efficiency. The concept I may mess around with this ridiculously {powerful} {hardware} and attempt to push it as onerous as potential bought my nerd senses tingling.
So why was I additionally apprehensive? Primarily as a result of how do you start reviewing a {hardware} configuration that shall be overkill for the wants of possibly 98% of our readers? Regardless of how good the M3 Extremely is (and I’ll get to only how good it’s in a second), for the overwhelming majority of individuals I’d nonetheless suggest they don’t purchase it, and as an alternative get the M4 Max mannequin – and for many, the M4 Mac mini could be a way more wise purchase.
In some methods that is Apple’s downside – and it’s an excellent downside to have. As a result of its M-series chips have been so good, generational leaps will be much less seen to mainstream prospects. In case you nonetheless use a Mac with an M1 or M2 chip there’s an excellent likelihood that it’ll nonetheless do nearly every little thing you want it to. If not, then upgrading to an M4 Mac, equivalent to the brand new MacBook Air or the Mac mini (sorry, I maintain mentioning it, however I actually love that little PC) is a way more reasonably priced choice that can maintain you chugging alongside properly. A smaller proportion of people that want extra energy for inventive functions will discover the M4 Max within the MacBook Professional or new Mac Studio greater than sufficient; and if it isn’t sufficient energy, then the M3 Extremely shall be extraordinarily welcome.
To be blunt, the quantity of people that will want the complete energy of the Mac Studio with M3 Extremely shall be restricted. However, in the event you do want a particularly {powerful} PC for rendering complicated 3D fashions, animating feature-length movies, and even creating and testing video games, then the brand new Mac Studio with M3 Extremely shall be a really enticing bundle certainly.
The Mac Studio Apple despatched me to overview comes with the highest-end M3 Extremely chip with a 32-core CPU (made up of 24 efficiency cores and eight effectivity ones), an 80-core GPU and a 32-core Neural Engine. It additionally has 256GB of unified reminiscence, and a 4TB SSD. Whereas it is not utterly maxed out, that is an extremely {powerful} little bit of package. The 256GB unified reminiscence doesn’t simply act like normal RAM in a PC, however is shared with the 80-core GPU, which implies the Mac Studio I’m reviewing is an extremely {powerful} gadget for graphic-intensive duties. The truth that all this energy is contained in a compact physique that continues to be impressively quiet, even when beneath stress, is especially spectacular.
So it’ll come as no shock to study that for normal day-to-day duties, the Mac Studio completely zips by, with macOS Sequoia and apps equivalent to Photoshop operating extremely easily. Net shopping with Safari and Chrome, with a number of tabs open, actually does not problem the Mac Studio. Chrome would possibly nonetheless be a reminiscence hog, however with 256GB of the stuff you’re not going to overlook a beat.
Even in the event you purchase the Mac Studio in a much less {powerful} configuration, the outcomes will very doubtless be the identical. After all, you’re not shopping for an uber-powerful laptop just like the Mac Studio to browse the online and write up paperwork. The Mac Studio has been constructed to deal with demanding inventive duties, and it’s right here that it actually excels.
Enhancing high-quality 4K footage in Adobe Premiere Professional was extraordinarily fast and easy, and I used to be capable of scrub by means of the footage rapidly to search out factors within the timeline, whereas previewing any modifications I made immediately. The super-fast SSD meant that video recordsdata have been loaded and complicated initiatives saved very, in a short time (utilizing the Blackmagic Disk Velocity Take a look at app, the SSD hit write speeds of seven,115.6 and skim speeds of 5,799MB/s).
Even when working with giant 4K video recordsdata and multi-scene initiatives (whereas shopping the online and writing up this overview on the identical time), I by no means felt like I used to be ever actually pushing the Mac Studio (therefore the apprehension I discussed earlier), as I don’t have entry to recordsdata and initiatives from skilled film studios, to select a extra demanding and sure use case for the brand new Mac Studio.
Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely) benchmarks
This is how the Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely) carried out in our suite of industry-standard benchmarks and sport assessments.
Geekbench 6:
Single – 3,240
Multi – 28,485
Blackmagic Disk Velocity Take a look at:
Learn: 5,799MB/s
Write: 7,115.6MB/s
Cinebench:
Single-core – 150
Multi-core – 3,015
GPU – 19,663
What I may see, nonetheless, is that the true worth of the brand new Mac Studio lies in its potential to hurry up inventive workflows. In case you can create, code, compile and extra, a lot extra rapidly, it means initiatives will be accomplished extra rapidly. This might in flip scale back prices for large-scale companies, and it additionally permits professionals to tackle extra shoppers. Even with the bottom reminiscence configuration for the M3 Extremely mannequin, 96GB, there’s loads of headroom to run a number of duties concurrently, which once more probably makes an enormous distinction to productiveness.
All through all my testing with the Mac Studio it remained extremely quiet – a welcome change from the desktop PCs I often use, which have followers that prefer to whirr into life on the drop of a hat. Throughout some notably demanding benchmarks I did discover the highest of the Mac Studio bought fairly scorching to the touch, however it actually wasn’t alarming – and the followers nonetheless remained all however silent. I additionally didn’t discover any cases of the M3 Extremely being throttled (a course of whereby parts are intentionally slowed right down to keep away from overheating, which impacts efficiency), although once more I wasn’t subjecting the Mac Studio to industry-level workloads – however I actually can’t think about too many situations the place the Mac Studio’s efficiency would not be sufficient.
That is after all nice information for individuals who want that efficiency, however it additionally underscores why the Mac Studio gained’t be for everybody, particularly contemplating the value.
Must you purchase the Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely)?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Worth |
There is not any getting away from the truth that the Mac Studio is an costly little bit of package which shall be out of attain for many individuals, however for the cash you do get an unimaginable workstation. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Design |
The Mac Studio’s trendy and compact design actually has no rivals. It is one thing of an engineering marvel contemplating the {powerful} parts inside, although the dearth of upgradability and older wi-fi tech are a disgrace. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Efficiency |
The brand new Mac Studio, particularly outfitted with the M3 Extremely chip, affords an unimaginable stage of efficiency. |
5 / 5 |
|
Common ranking |
Whereas the Mac Studio will not be for everybody, whether it is for you, then you definately’re not going to search out one other workstation of this calibre. |
4.5 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely): Additionally contemplate
How I examined the Apple Mac Studio (M3 Extremely)
- I used the brand new Mac Studio for 5 days
- I ran a number of benchmarks
- I used the Mac Studio for modifying uncooked 4K footage and high-resolution pictures, in addition to different intensive duties
I have been utilizing the Mac Studio since our overview pattern got here in, utilizing it as my main work laptop. In addition to scripting this overview on it, and utilizing it to carry out my common day-to-day duties, I used it for intensive workloads, together with modifying and exporting uncooked 4K video footage in Adobe Premiere Professional, and pictures in Photoshop, with the Mac Studio linked to an Apple Studio Show monitor. I additionally ran our suite of artificial benchmarks to assist in giving me an total view of the Mac Studio’s efficiency. I have been reviewing Macs for TechRadar for the previous decade, together with the unique Mac Studio, in addition to a spread of Home windows-based inventive workstations, and my expertise has enabled me to totally consider Apple’s newest Mac Studio.
- First reviewed: March 2025