Alongside the 15-inch MacBook Air, Apple today has also unveiled its new M2-equipped Mac Studio systems. Available in two variants, one of which is equipped with the same M2 Max silicon that powers this year’s high-end configurations of the MacBook Pro 14 and 16 models, while the other features the recently revealed M2 Ultra – the brand’s most powerful first-party chipset yet.
Design-wise, both the M2 Max and Ultra Mac Studios sport the same compact and minimalist design as its predecessor. Each comes with four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A, a HDMI, a 10Gb Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack in the back. What sets them apart is their front sides where the former variant features two USB-C ports and one SDXC card slot, whereas the latter has two Thunderbolt 4 ports and one SDXC card slot instead.
Like on this year’s MacBook Pro models, the M2 Max silicon on the 2023 Mac Studio also features a 12-core CPU, up to a 38-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. Also onboard are options of up to 96GB of unified memory and up to 8TB of internal storage via SSD. When compared to its predecessor, the chipset is claimed to be capable of allowing motion graphic designers to render up to 50% faster on After Effects, as well as offering app developers a boost of up to 25% on Xcode.
Next up is the top-end model, and it comes as no surprise that the M2 Ultra-equipped variant is the biggest highlight among the two newly unveiled Mac Studio systems. Described by Apple itself as “a monster of a chip”, the new silicon features a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. Also onboard is up to a whopping 192GB of unified memory and up to 8TB of SSD storage.
The newer setup entails a 30% boost over the M1 Ultra’s performance, which empowers 3D artists 3x faster rendering through Octane and colourists with up to 50% faster video processing through DaVinci Resolve. Additionally, Apple says this particular model also comes with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, and is able to support up to six Pro Display XDRs.
The new M2 Max and Ultra Mac Studios are slated to ship in the US on 13 June 2023, though its availability in Malaysia has yet to be confirmed. Regardless, Apple Malaysia has already revealed their respective pricing, with the M2 Max variant starting from RM9,499 and maxing out at RM23,099, while the M2 Ultra model starts from RM18,999 and maxes out at an eye-watering RM38,199. There’s also the option to include Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro pre-installed, but these would cost you an additional RM1,299 and RM999 respectively.
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