Versus Engine
Mac Studio M2 Ultra vs Mac Studio (M3 Ultra)
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Mac Studio M2 Ultra against Mac Studio (M3 Ultra), side by side.
Cheaper to start
Tie
Both start at a similar price.
Rated higher
Tie
Both score 9.8 on our design scale.
Standout
Mac Studio M2 Ultra
M2 Ultra Chip with 76-core GPU
Mac Studio M2 Ultra
Apple's desktop workstation configurable with up to 192GB of unified memory for running large language models locally.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- 192GB Unified Memory
- Dead silent operation
- Good power efficiency
Cons
- Zero upgradeability
- Very expensive at high configs
Specifications
- memoryUp to 192GB Unified
- processorApple M2 Ultra
- Apple Order No.—
- Bluetooth—
- Color—
- Dimensions—
- Display Support—
- EMC—
- gpu76-core GPU
- Graphics—
- HDMI—
- Headphone Jack—
- Maximum macOS—
- Maximum RAM—
- Memory Bandwidth—
- Model ID—
- Motherboard RAM—
- Processor Speed—
- Processor Type—
- Processor Upgrade—
- RAM Slots—
- Resolution Support—
- SDXC Card Slot—
- Standard Ethernet—
- Standard Storage—
- storageUp to 8TB SSD
- Storage Accessibility—
- Thunderbolt Ports—
- tierenthusiast
- USB-A Ports—
- Weight—
- Wi-Fi—
Mac Studio (M3 Ultra)
Apple's compact workstation, now with 819 GB/s of unified memory bandwidth.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- 819 GB/s unified memory bandwidth
- Very large unified memory pool holds models that exceed consumer VRAM
- Near-silent and power-efficient for the capability
Cons
- Outside the CUDA ecosystem — training and custom kernels are awkward
- Memory is fixed at purchase and cannot be upgraded
- Raw compute per pound trails a discrete GPU build
Specifications
- memory96 GB Unified Memory
- processorApple M3 Ultra
- Apple Order No.MU973LL/A
- Bluetooth5.3
- ColorSilver
- Dimensions3.7 × 7.7 × 7.7 inches
- Display SupportUp to 8 Displays
- EMC8859
- gpu—
- Graphics60-Core GPU
- HDMIHDMI 2.1
- Headphone Jack3.5 mm
- Maximum macOSCurrent
- Maximum RAM256 GB*
- Memory Bandwidth819 GB/s
- Model IDMac15,14
- Motherboard RAM96 GB standard; 256 GB configurable*
- Processor SpeedApprox. 4.0 GHz
- Processor TypeApple M3 Ultra
- Processor UpgradeSoldered
- RAM SlotsNone
- Resolution SupportUp to 7680 × 4320 (8K)
- SDXC Card SlotUHS-II
- Standard Ethernet10 Gigabit Ethernet
- Standard Storage1 TB SSD
- storage—
- Storage AccessibilityNot User Accessible; Removable
- Thunderbolt Ports6 Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C)
- tier—
- USB-A Ports2
- Weight8.0 lbs. (3.64 kg)
- Wi-Fi802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E