Although its M4 serial publication of chips is still hustle out across devices , Apple recently bring out the raw M3 Ultra cow chip for the Mac Studio .
acclaim as “ the highest - do cow chip it has ever create ” , theM3 Ultra chippromises to offer the most knock-down CPU and GPU in a Mac and the “ most unified storage ever in a personal computer . ”
If you require a earnestly hefty computing gadget then you ’ll likely be debating between the M4 Max or M3 Ultra . To help you settle , we explain the central differences between the two powerhouse chipsets here in M4 Max vs M3 Ultra .
If you want to compare more options , ourM4 Pro vs M4 Maxguide should help . Although we have n’t reviewed the Mac Studio with either M4 Pro M3 Ultra yet , ourMac Studio 2023review should offer some assistance .
M4 Max is found in both the Mac Studio and MacBook Pro
The M4 Max scrap is arguably the more various of the two , as it ’s find in both the MacBook Pro 2024 compass and the fresh Mac Studio . Although the Mac Studio M4 Max has a cheaper bulge out RRP of £ 2099 , while the MacBook Pro M4 Max starts at a whopping £ 3499 , recollect you ’ll require to factor in costs for extra equipment such as monitors , keyboards and trackpads .
The M3 Ultra chip is currently reserved for the Mac Studio rather , with a protrude RRP of an heart - watering £ 4199 . Remember to factor in toll for extra equipment here too . Ourbest monitorsandbest keyboardslists can aid guide you if you do n’t know where to start .
M3 Ultra has up to double the CPU and GPU
With an up to 16 - gist CPU that ’s made up of 12 carrying out and four efficiency marrow , the M4 Max promises to “ push pro workflows to the point of accumulation ” . Not only that but the M4 Max has up to a 40 - kernel GPU that check heavy workload can run in tangible clock time , and is up to 1.9x faster than M1 Max .
Although the spectacles of the M4 Max are undoubtedly impressive , the M3 Ultra vaunt up to repeat the CPU and GPU of its tawdry alternative . With up to a 32 - nucleus CPU that delivers up to 1.5x the performance ofM2 Ultraand an 80 - core GPU , which is the largest establish in any Apple processor , the M3 Ultra claims to “ provide the most performance of any Mac chip ” .
M3 Ultra has a 32 core Neural Engine
Hailed as being build up for AI , the M3 Ultra sport a 32 - core Neural Engine which ensures AI and political machine learning tasks are processed quickly and efficiently . In fact , Apple explicate that the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra is the “ ultimate desktop for AI exploitation ” and can run large language mannikin ( LLMs ) with over 600 billion parametric quantity directly on - twist .
On the other deal , the M4 Max is made up of a 16 - core Neural Engine and supports up to 128 GB of coordinated memory and 546GB / s of memory board bandwidth , which allows fundamental interaction with LLMs that have nigh 200 billion parameters .
Both chipsets however do support the entireApple Intelligencetoolkit , so sport such asImage Playground , Writing Toolsand ChatGPT desegregation should work quickly and expeditiously across both .
M3 Ultra has more memory and memory bandwidth
Although we touch upon the retention and bandwidth of the M4 Max chip to begin with , it ’s deserving pointing out that the M3 Ultra boasts a high amount of both . While the M4 Max supports up to 128 GB of memory and 546GB / s of memory bandwidth , the M3 Ultra support up to 512 Gbit and a banging 819GB / s respectively . What this mean in actual term is intemperate workload that demand turgid amounts of computer graphic , feel smoother and runs faster than before .
In fact , Apple take the M3 Ultra ’s up to 512 GB of computer memory is the “ most high - bandwidth , low - response time retention ever usable in a personal computer ” and outpaces today ’s “ most forward-looking workstation graphics card ” .
Mac Studio with M3 Ultra has six Thunderbolt 5 ports
With regards to the Mac Studio , the amount and specific character of ports depends on the chipset you opt for . While the Mac Studio with M4 Max is made up of fourThunderbolt 5USB - Cs , twoUSB - Cs , two USB - As , aHDMI , Ethernet port and SDXC expansion slot , the M3 Ultra alternative forgoes the USB - A ports totally and all six of the USB - Cs are Thunderbolt 5 stand .
If you decide to go for the MacBook Pro with M4 Max then you ’ll benefit from a sum of three Thunderbolt 5 USB - C port and an SDXC card slot . Unlike theMacBook Air , the MacBook Pro M4 Max also sports a HDMI embrasure too .
Early Verdict
There ’s no deny that both the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip represent the most powerful processors that Apple currently has to offer . How much exponent you need depends alone on your own work flow , and it ’s fair to say these chipsets are not designed with casual or light workloads in thinker . If you light into the latter category , then ourbest Macorbest background PClist might befit you better .
