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Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) vs Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)

Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025)1Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac Studio M3 Ultra against Mac Studio M2 Max
FigureMac Studio M3 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Price£4,1993launch price£2,0994launch price
ChipM3 UltrachipM2 Maxchip
CPU28-coreCPU12-coreCPU
GPU60-coreGPU30-coreGPU
Memory96GBunified memory, base32GBunified memory, base
Storage1TBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Released12 March 20255ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 5 March 2025.13 June 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2023.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The Mac Studio M3 Ultra is £4,199 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 26 March 2025); the Mac Studio M2 Max is £2,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) · 197 × 95 mm frontMac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) · 197 × 95 mm front

Front faces, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M3 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Dimensions95 x 197 x 197 mm95 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight3.64 kg2.7 kg
ColoursSilverSilver
PortsFour Thunderbolt 5 (USB‑C) ports, two USB 3 (USB‑A) ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI 2.1 port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M3 Ultra): two Thunderbolt 5 ports (up to 120Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II)Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M2 Max): two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II)
Thunderbolt ports864
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 5Thunderbolt 4
USB-A ports22
HDMIHDMI 2.1 portHDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M3 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
ChipApple M3 Ultra chipApple M2 Max chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores2812
Performance cores208
Efficiency cores84
GPU cores6030
Neural Engine cores3216
Chip optionsM3 Ultra with 28-core CPU and 60-core GPU, or M3 Ultra with 32-core CPU and 80-core GPUM2 Max with 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU9
Memory (base)96GB32GB
Memory (maximum)256GB1096GB9
Memory options96GB or 256GB1032GB, 64GB or 96GB (96GB with 38-core GPU)9
Memory bandwidth819 GB/s400 GB/s
Storage (base)1TB512GB
Storage (maximum)16TB8TB9
Storage options1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB or 16TB512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB9
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWtwo video decode enginesfour video encode enginesfour ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decodeHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode engines

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M3 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Maximum continuous power480 W370 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M3 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.35.3
Ethernet10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ‑45 connector)10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)
External displays (base)85

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M3 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker11Built-in speaker12

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M3 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Shipped withNot available13macOS Ventura14
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate15macOS 27 Golden Gate16
Model identifierMac15,1417Mac14,1318
Model year20252023

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac Studio M3 Ultra · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac Studio M2 Max · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple UK Store (archived 26 March 2025) — Mac Studio, M3 Ultra with 28-core CPU and 60-core GPU, 96GB, 1TB, £4,199.00 · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 30 Sep 2026

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  7. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  8. Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac Studio M3 Ultra: Thunderbolt 5. Mac Studio M2 Max: Thunderbolt 4.

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  9. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  10. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  11. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

Mac Studio M3 Ultra. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory upgradeable by user, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac Studio M2 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory upgradeable by user, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart lists the Mac Studio M2 Max only with a 38-core GPU, not the 30-core GPU this Mac has, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M3 Ultra (2025)? · Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M2 Max (2023)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.