Uploaded April 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
This is the Mac Studio, which basically just looks like a grown up and taller Mac Mini. I’ve had it pretty much since launch, I’ve had a chance to really use it and incorporate it into my day to day life and today we’re gonna talk about it a little bit, and I’ll give you my thoughts on it.
Affiliate Link to Mac Studio:
amzn.to/380JOLN
Amazon Affiliate Links to Gear I use:
Sony A7S III: amzn.to/3jD0fxC
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Tripod: amzn.to/2O7V8Yn
13in Macbook Pro non-touchbar: amzn.to/2F4uz27
Philips Hue Light Strip: amzn.to/2VZq2EV
Godox SL-60W: amzn.to/37LsdT0
Rode VideoMic NTG: amzn.to/2RKHVrL
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:20 Physical Features
2:34 User Experience
6:03 Performance & Benchmarks
8:03 Conclusion
The Mac Studio sits between the Mac Mini and Mac Pro in terms of price, and size. But it’s got more in common with the Mac Mini than it does the Mac Pro. It’s a giant block of aluminum, which feels similar to pretty much any other mac. If you get the M1 Ultra version of this machine, the USB 4 ports up front are Thunderbolt 4 ports. And on the back you get even more ports, a power port, hdmi 2.0, 4 thunderbolt 4 ports, 2 regular usb ports, 10gig ethernet, and a headphone jack. There’s so many ways to plug all your devices into it and because it has ports in the front, you can keep all your often used devices there, and your monitors, and permanently attached peripherals like a mic and webcam in the back. On the bottom of the Mac Studio you can see the “Mac Studio” etching right in the middle. There’s also vents on the bottom of the machine for airflow. There’s no way to officially upgrade the internals of the Mac Studio. Which is a shame since the Mac Pro is modular, it would have been great if the Mac Studio was too. The only real “expandable” part of this machine is the sheer number of ports that allow you to add all the things you want to connect the Mac Studio to.
The Mac Studio is a device that sits between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro. The “Studio” would imply either a creative professional or someone in between a Pro and a Consumer. And As someone who makes content on YouTube, I like to think I fit pretty much right in the middle of that. Basically, I use the Mac Studio as a centralized hub that controls my entire YouTube operation. The Mac Studio is for the most part whisper quiet. I did not actively hear the machine doing most tasks. Under some stress tests, the Studio does get louder but not significantly louder. However, in places with a low noise floor, you will hear the fans on this machine, even when idle, so maybe not the best choice in a recording studio environment. While the Mac Studio is just a stand alone computer, it has a speaker, and well, compared to the speakers found in Apple’s other computers, this one is not very good. The ports on the Mac Studio enable you to better multi-task on the machine. On the Mac Studio there’s already plenty of ports, letting me keep all my devices plugged in without having to constantly pull things in and out, and swapping different devices around. And the front IO makes it easy to quick swap vs plugging and unplugging from the back like the M1 Mac Mini.
Okay so now let’s talk about performance. Since this is the base model Mac Studio with the M1 Max processor, the processor itself performs similar to what you find in the cheapest M1 Max Macbook Pro. So I’ll just show some quick comparisons between this machine and some other M1 Machines I have around. Full disclaimer. This isn’t a comprehensive test, but it revolves around the applications I’m familiar with.
So what’s the main takeaway you get from these benchmarks? The M1 Max found in the Mac Studio and higher end MacBook pros are fast, really fast. So then, what do I think of this machine?
At $2,000, the Mac Studio is a pricey computer, and at $4,000 for the M1 Ultra variant, this machine is out of most people’s price range for a computer. When you think of this machine from a Prosumer perspective, That’s where you really start to see its value. It’s currently the cheapest way to get the performance of an M1 Max and currently the only way to get an M1 Ultra in the Apple Mac Line up. It’s also the most expandable Mac since Apple’s transition to ARM, thanks to how many ports it has. This really is a machine for power users, prosumers, Mac enthusiasts and people who really need to use their macs and get as much performance as possible, because it means things get done faster. So, if you’re looking for a workhorse of a machine, a “do-everything” machine. I’d look at the studio. Otherwise, go with one of the M1 alternatives or if Apple ever releases an M1 pro or M2 pro Mac Mini, that would be a fantastic middle ground between the two. Either way, true to its name, this Mac Studio is the headless Mac, content creators, power users, and enthusiasts were waiting for.
This is the Mac Studio, which basically just looks like a grown up and taller Mac Mini. I’ve had it pretty much since launch, I’ve had a chance to really use it and incorporate it into my day to day life and today we’re gonna talk about it a little bit, and I’ll give you my thoughts on it.
Affiliate Link to Mac Studio:
amzn.to/380JOLN
Amazon Affiliate Links to Gear I use:
Sony A7S III: amzn.to/3jD0fxC
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Tripod: amzn.to/2O7V8Yn
13in Macbook Pro non-touchbar: amzn.to/2F4uz27
Philips Hue Light Strip: amzn.to/2VZq2EV
Godox SL-60W: amzn.to/37LsdT0
Rode VideoMic NTG: amzn.to/2RKHVrL
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:20 Physical Features
2:34 User Experience
6:03 Performance & Benchmarks
8:03 Conclusion
The Mac Studio sits between the Mac Mini and Mac Pro in terms of price, and size. But it’s got more in common with the Mac Mini than it does the Mac Pro. It’s a giant block of aluminum, which feels similar to pretty much any other mac. If you get the M1 Ultra version of this machine, the USB 4 ports up front are Thunderbolt 4 ports. And on the back you get even more ports, a power port, hdmi 2.0, 4 thunderbolt 4 ports, 2 regular usb ports, 10gig ethernet, and a headphone jack. There’s so many ways to plug all your devices into it and because it has ports in the front, you can keep all your often used devices there, and your monitors, and permanently attached peripherals like a mic and webcam in the back. On the bottom of the Mac Studio you can see the “Mac Studio” etching right in the middle. There’s also vents on the bottom of the machine for airflow. There’s no way to officially upgrade the internals of the Mac Studio. Which is a shame since the Mac Pro is modular, it would have been great if the Mac Studio was too. The only real “expandable” part of this machine is the sheer number of ports that allow you to add all the things you want to connect the Mac Studio to.
The Mac Studio is a device that sits between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro. The “Studio” would imply either a creative professional or someone in between a Pro and a Consumer. And As someone who makes content on YouTube, I like to think I fit pretty much right in the middle of that. Basically, I use the Mac Studio as a centralized hub that controls my entire YouTube operation. The Mac Studio is for the most part whisper quiet. I did not actively hear the machine doing most tasks. Under some stress tests, the Studio does get louder but not significantly louder. However, in places with a low noise floor, you will hear the fans on this machine, even when idle, so maybe not the best choice in a recording studio environment. While the Mac Studio is just a stand alone computer, it has a speaker, and well, compared to the speakers found in Apple’s other computers, this one is not very good. The ports on the Mac Studio enable you to better multi-task on the machine. On the Mac Studio there’s already plenty of ports, letting me keep all my devices plugged in without having to constantly pull things in and out, and swapping different devices around. And the front IO makes it easy to quick swap vs plugging and unplugging from the back like the M1 Mac Mini.
Okay so now let’s talk about performance. Since this is the base model Mac Studio with the M1 Max processor, the processor itself performs similar to what you find in the cheapest M1 Max Macbook Pro. So I’ll just show some quick comparisons between this machine and some other M1 Machines I have around. Full disclaimer. This isn’t a comprehensive test, but it revolves around the applications I’m familiar with.
So what’s the main takeaway you get from these benchmarks? The M1 Max found in the Mac Studio and higher end MacBook pros are fast, really fast. So then, what do I think of this machine?
At $2,000, the Mac Studio is a pricey computer, and at $4,000 for the M1 Ultra variant, this machine is out of most people’s price range for a computer. When you think of this machine from a Prosumer perspective, That’s where you really start to see its value. It’s currently the cheapest way to get the performance of an M1 Max and currently the only way to get an M1 Ultra in the Apple Mac Line up. It’s also the most expandable Mac since Apple’s transition to ARM, thanks to how many ports it has. This really is a machine for power users, prosumers, Mac enthusiasts and people who really need to use their macs and get as much performance as possible, because it means things get done faster. So, if you’re looking for a workhorse of a machine, a “do-everything” machine. I’d look at the studio. Otherwise, go with one of the M1 alternatives or if Apple ever releases an M1 pro or M2 pro Mac Mini, that would be a fantastic middle ground between the two. Either way, true to its name, this Mac Studio is the headless Mac, content creators, power users, and enthusiasts were waiting for.
