Apple Mac Studio M4 Max/M3 Ultra

Macs are rarely considered bargains, but the Mac Studio delivers striking levels of performance per dollar in M4 Max and M3 Ultra form.

This is the point in the review where I’d normally make my best value analysis and suggest whether the new Mac Studio is worth its $1,999 (base model) outlay. That’s nearly impossible to do with a computer like this, however, because so few users are going to benefit from the extreme power of the M4 Max (and even fewer from the M3 Ultra version). However, I can safely say that if you need this level of performance, you already know that you do, because your existing rig is likely starting to show its age in the face of modern workloads.

The 2025 Mac Studio is the most capable Mac desktop yet, offering excellent CPU performance and Thunderbolt 5 support while remaining cool and quiet under presure. However, the upgraded M3 Ultra version is awfully expensive, and it's yet unclear whether that extra power is worth the price.

Apple's M4 Max-based Mac Studio is a powerful, versatile compact desktop that excels at single-core and multithreaded tasks. It offers a strong balance of performance and value for most professional users.

The Apple Mac Studio brings incredible performance in a sleek, sliver box that can cost and arm and a leg.

I do like the Mac Studio. It's a powerful compact desktop that, given you spend enough money on it, can do almost anything most people likely need it to do. But unless you have an unlimited budget, you may want to first figure out if less expensive configurations or other systems will serve your needs as well.