The Mac Studio is Apple’s ultimate performance computer, but this year’s model came with a twist: It’s equipped with either an M4 Max or an M3 Ultra processor. The latter might seem like a step backward,

The M4 Max Mac Studio comes standard with a 14-core CPU (10 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores), a 32-core GPU, 36GB of unified memory, and a 512GB SSD. This review looks at the M4 Max option with a 16-core CPU (two more performance cores), a 40-core GPU, 128GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which all add $1,700 the price of the Mac Studio.

For the first time ever though, Apple is offering the Mac Studio with two different generations of chip. The entry-level $1,999 Mac Studio is powered by the M4 Max, while the more powerful $3,999 Mac Studio is the only Mac to ship with the M3 Ultra.