The all-new Mac Studio has surpassed even the high-end Mac Pro as Apple's most powerful desktop computer. The Mac Studio starts at $1,999, which is significantly cheaper than the $5,999 beginning price of the Mac Pro.
So, why is the more costly Mac Pro still available, and should you choose it over the new Mac Studio? Our guide will assist you in determining which of these two desktop Macs is best for you.
Comparing the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro
The Mac Studio and Mac Pro share a few key characteristics, such as a silver aluminium exterior and up to 8TB of SSD storage. Apple mentions the following four similarities between the two devices:
Similarities
- Storage capacity of up to 8TB
- Bluetooth version 5.0
- Speaker built-in
- Design in silver and aluminium
Although these Macs share similar characteristics, there are several changes between them, including totally different chipsets, RAM capacity, port options, and external display capabilities.
Differences
Mac Studio
- Integrated, non-upgradeable design
- Apple M1 Max chip or Apple M1 Ultra chip
- Up to 20-core CPU
- Up to 64-core GPU
- Up to 128GB unified memory
- Wi-Fi 6
- 10Gb Ethernet
- SDXC card slot (UHS-II)
- Up to six Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Two USB-A ports
- HDMI port with support for multichannel audio output
- Support for up to four Pro Display XDRs and one 4K display
- Starts at $1,999
Mac Pro
- Modular, upgradeable design
- Intel Xeon W processor
- Up to 28-core CPU
- Up to AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo GPU
- Up to 1.5TB memory
- Wi-Fi 5
- Dual 10Gb Ethernet
- Eight PCI Express expansion slots (open slot availability depends on configuration selected)
- Up to 12 Thunderbolt 3 ports
- Support for up to 12 4K displays, six 5K displays, or six Pro Display XDRs
- Starts at $5,999
What About the Rumored Apple Silicon Mac Pro?
Apple expressly teased the debut of a new Mac Pro with Apple silicon during their "Peek Performance" presentation, making it clear that the Mac Studio is not a substitute for the Mac Pro. To clear up any uncertainty concerning the continuation of the Mac Pro product line, Apple senior vice president of Hardware Engineering John Ternus went so far as to state that a new Mac Pro is coming "another day," and speculations claim that a new Mac Pro is still slated to be launched in 2022.
The high-end Mac Studio comes with the M1 Ultra processor, which has a 20-core CPU and up to 64-core GPU. The next Mac Pro is likely to include a more powerful hardware with up to 128 graphics cores and 40 CPU cores.
The Mac Pro is scheduled to be launched in 2022, maybe as early as June at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple might show off the machine during the event before releasing it later this fall, allowing developers time to design apps for it.
Final Thoughts
There are two primary reasons to choose the Mac Pro over the Mac Studio. The first is for its Intel CPU, because some high-level professional programmes, even Rosetta 2, run better on native Intel computers.
The modularity is the second factor. The Mac Pro has eight PCI Express expansion slots, which may be used to tailor the machine's hardware to specific requirements, such as adding extra storage or graphics cards. The flexibility of the Mac Pro also makes it easy to modify and update components over time. In contrast, the Mac Studio is a completely integrated computer with no flexibility or ability to add or alter components.
The Mac Pro is also more adaptable in terms of ports, which can be added via PCI Express slots, and it supports more external monitors.
If these factors are unimportant to you, the Mac Studio is the superior option. The M1 Ultra CPU in the Mac Studio exceeds the 28-core Xeon Mac Pro with the most powerful graphics card, implying that the Mac Studio is a more powerful computer overall and should be faster for many processes. Given that its base model is $4,000 less expensive than the Mac Pro, the Mac Studio is the ideal solution for those who do not require the unique advantages of the Mac Pro.
