The all-new Mac Studio is Apple’s most powerful desktop computer, bettering even the high-end Mac Pro. The new Mac Studio costs $1,999, considerably less than the $5,999 starting price of the Mac Pro.
Why is the more expensive Mac Pro still on sale, and should you choose it over the new Mac Studio? Our article will assist you in determining which of these two desktop Macs is ideal for you.
Comparison: Mac Studio vs. Mac Pro
The Mac Studio and the Mac Pro have many features in common, such as a silver aluminum design and up to 8TB of solid-state drive storage. The four features mentioned by Apple are the same for both devices:
Similarities
- Built-in speaker
- Silver aluminum design
- Up to 8TB storage
- Bluetooth 5.0
Despite the fact that these Macs have many characteristics in common, they are separated by a large number of distinctions, ranging from different chipsets to distinct ports and external display abilities.
Differences
| Mac Studio | Mac Pro |
| Integrated, non-upgradeable design | Modular, upgradeable design |
| Apple M1 Max chip or Apple M1 Ultra chip | Intel Xeon W processor |
| Up to 20-core CPU | Up to 28-core CPU |
| Up to 64-core GPU | Up to AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo GPU |
| Up to 128GB unified memory | Up to 1.5TB memory |
| Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 5 |
| 10Gb Ethernet | Dual 10Gb Ethernet |
| SDXC card slot (UHS-II) | Eight PCI Express expansion slots (open slot availability depends on configuration selected) |
| Up to six Thunderbolt 4 ports | Up to 12 Thunderbolt 3 ports |
| Two USB-A ports | Support for up to 12 4K displays, six 5K displays, or six Pro Display XDRs |
| HDMI port with support for multichannel audio output | Starting price is $5,999 |
| Support for up to four Pro Display XDRs and one 4K display | |
| Starting price is $1,999 |
Is Apple Silicon Mac Pro coming?
Apple made an announcement, implying the launch of a new Mac Pro with Apple silicon at its “Peek Performance” event, making it clear that the Mac Studio is not a substitute for the Mac Pro. To allay any confusion about the continuation of the Mac Pro product line, Apple senior vice president of Hardware Engineering John Ternus went as far as to declare that there will be “another day” when a Mac Pro will be released. According to rumors, a new Mac Pro” is still expected to be revealed in 2022.
The top-of-the-line Mac Studio has the M1 Ultra chip, which includes a 20-core CPU and up to 64 core GPU. The new Mac Pro reportedly will have an even more powerful processor with 40 CPU cores and up to 128 graphics cores.
The Mac Pro is scheduled to be unveiled in 2022, and it might be launched as early as June of that year, at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple may present the device at the event and then sell it later this fall, giving developers time to adapt their programs for it.
Apple Mac Pro 2022 is under development: Everything we know so far
Comparison: Apple M1 Ultra vs Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
Which one is better?
The Mac Pro offers greater performance than the Mac Studio for two basic reasons. The first is that it has an Intel processor, as some high-level professional applications perform better on native Intel systems despite Rosetta 2.
The second is modularity. The Mac Pro has eight PCI Express expansion slots that may be utilized to tailor the machine’s hardware for specific needs, such as extra storage or GPUs. Modularity also implies it’s easier to upgrade and improve parts over time with the Mac Pro.’ In contrast, the Mac Studio is a fully integrated computer without any modularity or provision to add or modify components.
With two Thunderbolt 2 ports and four USB Type-C connections, the Mac Pro is more versatile when it comes to connectivity, allowing users to connect via PCI Express slots and enabling support for additional external displays.
If these aspects are unimportant to you, the Mac Studio is the way to go. The M1 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio outperforms the 28-core Xeon ‘Mac Pro’ with the top-end graphics card, implying that it is a more powerful computer overall and should be faster for many workflows. Given that the Mac Pro is $4,000 cheaper than the Mac Studio, it’s no surprise that the latter is an excellent alternative for individuals who don’t need all of the features of the former.
