Although its M4 series of chips is still rolling out across devices, Apple recently unveiled the new M3 Ultra chip for the Mac Studio.
Hailed as “the highest-performing chip it has ever created”, the M3 Ultra chip promises to offer the most powerful CPU and GPU in a Mac and the “most unified memory ever in a personal computer.”
If you need a seriously powerful computer then you’ll likely be debating between the M4 Max or M3 Ultra. To help you decide, we explain the key differences between the two powerhouse chipsets here in M4 Max vs M3 Ultra.
If you want to compare more options, our M4 Pro vs M4 Max guide should help. Although we haven’t reviewed the Mac Studio with either M4 Pro M3 Ultra yet, our Mac Studio 2023 review should offer some assistance.
M4 Max is found in both the Mac Studio and MacBook Pro
The M4 Max chip is arguably the more versatile of the two, as it’s found in both the MacBook Pro 2024 range and the new Mac Studio. Although the Mac Studio M4 Max has a cheaper starting RRP of £2099, while the MacBook Pro M4 Max starts at a whopping £3499, remember you’ll need to factor in costs for additional equipment such as monitors, keyboards and trackpads.
The M3 Ultra chip is currently reserved for the Mac Studio instead, with a starting RRP of an eye-watering £4199. Remember to factor in costs for additional equipment here too. Our best monitors and best keyboards lists can help guide you if you don’t know where to start.
M3 Ultra has up to double the CPU and GPU
With an up to 16-core CPU that’s made up of 12 performance and four efficiency cores, the M4 Max promises to “push pro workflows to the limit”. Not only that but the M4 Max has up to a 40-core GPU that ensures heavy workloads can run in real time, and is up to 1.9x faster than M1 Max.
Although the specs of the M4 Max are undoubtedly impressive, the M3 Ultra boasts up to double the CPU and GPU of its cheaper alternative. With up to a 32-core CPU that delivers up to 1.5x the performance of M2 Ultra and an 80-core GPU, which is the largest found in any Apple processor, the M3 Ultra claims to “provide the most performance of any Mac chip”.
M3 Ultra has a 32 core Neural Engine
Hailed as being built for AI, the M3 Ultra sports a 32-core Neural Engine which ensures AI and machine learning tasks are processed quickly and efficiently. In fact, Apple explains that the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra is the “ultimate desktop for AI development” and can run large language models (LLMs) with over 600 billion parameters directly on-device.
On the other hand, the M4 Max is made up of a 16-core Neural Engine and supports up to 128GB of unified memory and 546GB/s of memory bandwidth, which allows interaction with LLMs that have nearly 200 billion parameters.
Both chipsets however do support the entire Apple Intelligence toolkit, so features such as Image Playground, Writing Tools and ChatGPT integration should work quickly and efficiently across both.
M3 Ultra has more memory and memory bandwidth
Although we touched upon the memory and bandwidth of the M4 Max chip earlier, it’s worth pointing out that the M3 Ultra boasts a higher amount of both. While the M4 Max supports up to 128GB of memory and 546GB/s of memory bandwidth, the M3 Ultra supports up to 512GB and a whopping 819GB/s respectively. What this means in real terms is heavy workloads that demand large amounts of graphics, feels smoother and runs faster than before.
In fact, Apple claims the M3 Ultra’s up to 512GB of memory is the “most high-bandwidth, low-latency memory ever available in a personal computer” and outpaces today’s “most advanced workstation graphics cards”.
Mac Studio with M3 Ultra has six Thunderbolt 5 ports
With regards to the Mac Studio, the amount and specific type of ports depends on the chipset you opt for. While the Mac Studio with M4 Max is made up of four Thunderbolt 5 USB-Cs, two USB-Cs, two USB-As, a HDMI, Ethernet port and SDXC slot, the M3 Ultra alternative forgoes the USB-A ports altogether and all six of the USB-Cs are Thunderbolt 5 supported.
If you decide to go for the MacBook Pro with M4 Max then you’ll benefit from a total of three Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports and an SDXC card slot. Unlike the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro M4 Max also sports a HDMI port too.
Early Verdict
There’s no denying that both the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips represent the most powerful processors that Apple currently has to offer. How much power you need depends entirely on your own workflow, and it’s fair to say these chipsets are not designed with casual or light workloads in mind. If you fall into the latter category, then our best Mac or best desktop PC list might suit you better.
