Home > News Tips

Mac Studio VS Mac Pro: Which One Is More Suitable For You?

Updated on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

iBoysoft author Vain Rowe

Written by

Vain Rowe
Professional tech editor

Approved by

Jessica Shee

English Français Deutsch やまと Español Português

Apple has released various Mac lineups, including MacBook mini, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio. Each Mac lineup holds its own features and highlights and you can choose the optimum lineup based on your preferences. 

However, you may get confused about Mac Studio and Pro since they are both high-end lineups configured with advanced hardware and stunning chips among all Mac models. Be easy, this post from iBoysoft guides you to know the details of Mac Studio VS Mac Pro so you can pick a suitable one for implementing your work.

Mac Studio VS Mac Pro

Mac Studio VS Mac Pro: the battle of the optimum

With the release of the latest Mac Pro, Apple's transition to Apple Silicon among all Mac lineups has declared a beautiful end since then. Being featured with the same chip -- Mac Ultra chip, Mac Studio and Mac Pro still have their own differences, now let's explore them in detail.

Compared with the starting price of Mac Pro being $6999, Mac Studio starts at $1999 when it is built with an Apple M2 Mac chip. Yet when Mac Studio comes with an M2 Ultra chip, its starting price can go up to $3999.

Let's see what's different on Mac Studio and Mac Pro in detail:

  Mac Studio Mac Pro
Memory upgrade Integrated, non-upgradeable design with sealed casing Modular design with openable casing and potential for SSD upgrades
Expansion Slots  Seven PCI Express expansion slots (six available slots; one slot comes with Apple I/O card installed)
FansTwo impeller fans  Three impeller fans
Chips Apple ‌M2‌ Max or ‌M2‌ Ultra chip Apple ‌M2‌ Ultra chip
CPU Up to 24-core CPU 24-core CPU
Ethernet 10Gb Ethernet Dual 10Gb Ethernet
Thunderbolt ports Up to six Thunderbolt 4 ports Eight Thunderbolt 4 ports
USB ports Two USB-A ports Three USB-A ports
HDMI port One HDMI port Two HDMI ports
Rack-mounted version  Rack-mounted version available
SD card slot  SDXC card slot (UHS-II) –
Price Starts at $1,999 Starts at $6,999
GPU Up to 76-core Up to 76-core
Memory Up to 192GB of unified memory Up to 192GB of unified memory
Storage  
System on ChipM2 Ultra chip: 24-core CPU with 16 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores
Up to 76-core GPU
32-core Neural Engine
800GB/s memory bandwidth
M2 Max chip: 12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 
Up to 38-core GPU 
16-core Neural Engine
400GB/s memory bandwidth
24-core CPU with 16 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores
Up to 76-core GPU
32-core Neural Engine
800GB/s memory bandwidth
Media EngineM2 Ultra chip: Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
Two video decode engines
Four video encode engines
Four ProRes encode and decode engines
M2 Max chip: Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW Video decode engine
Two video encode engines 
Two ProRes encode and decode engines
Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
Two video decode engines
Four video encode engines
Four ProRes encode and decode engines
DisplaySupport for up to eight 4K displays, six 6K displays, or three 8K displays (sold separately)Support for up to eight 4K displays, six 6K displays, or three 8K displays (sold separately)
AudioSpeaker
3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
HDMI port supports multichannel audio output
Speaker
3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
HDMI port supports multichannel audio output
Keyboard and TrackpadMagic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad (sold separately)
Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad (sold separately)
Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad
Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad

 

Some users prefer Mac Pro for its seven PCIe expansion slots adding the likes of digital signal processing cards, serial digital interface, and additional networking. More significantly, Mac Pro allows users to upgrade the SSD storage while Mac Studio offers no storage upgrade option.

If you have requirements for multiple Ethernet ports, more than 6 Thunderbolt ports, or more than two USB-A ports for lots of peripheral connections, only the Mac Pro meets your needs. Otherwise, you'd better off paying for the Mac Studio configured with the M2 Ultra chip for an available $3000 saving.

Conclusion

If you still are confused about the differences between a Mac Pro and Mac Studio, you've clicked on the very article. This post explores their differences in every aspect and presents them in a visual table, allowing you to know them effortlessly.

I believe that you can choose the one that fits you the most after reading the info and details provided by this article.