Apple MacBook M3 Max 16 Core vs Apple Mac Studio M2 Ultra 24 Core (or wait for Studio M3 Ultra)

[Chevron]

Is the 16 Core M3 MBP Max really a match for the 24 Core Mac Studio M2 Ultra, as the Geekbench benchmarks suggest?

This would be a music production machine used mostly for mixing and mastering!

The looming M3 Studio Ultra, makes me think I should wait though!

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Is the 16 Core M3 MBP Max really a match for the 24 Core Mac Studio M2 Ultra, as the Geekbench benchmarks suggest?

This would be a music production machine used mostly for mixing and mastering!

The looming M3 Studio Ultra, makes me think I should wait though!

That may depend on how the Geekbench scores affect your own personal music production. Sometimes it is the combination of other components and software which makes a system more usable for a certain task.

Do you want the portability and cool factor of an MBP or are you wanting a desk with an Apple Studio, monitor, keyboard and mouse/trackpad? Is it easier to integrate audio devices with a multiport Studio or do you only need a couple of ports a-la MBP?

Otherwise I fold. Out of my price bracket!

 

[Chevron]

That may depend on how the Geekbench scores affect your own personal music production. Sometimes it is the combination of other components and software which makes a system more usable for a certain task.

Do you want the portability and cool factor of an MBP or are you wanting a desk with an Apple Studio, monitor, keyboard and mouse/trackpad? Is it easier to integrate audio devices with a multiport Studio or do you only need a couple of ports a-la MBP?

Otherwise I fold. Out of my price bracket!

It really is dependent on whether the M3 MBP Max really is a match for the Studio M2 Ultra in terms of processing power for mixing.

I am curious if anyone has both of these machines and working in music production.

 

[pastrychef]

Is the 16 Core M3 MBP Max really a match for the 24 Core Mac Studio M2 Ultra, as the Geekbench benchmarks suggest?

This would be a music production machine used mostly for mixing and mastering!

The looming M3 Studio Ultra, makes me think I should wait though!

Maybe this will help you...

 

[c-o-pr]

Historical march of progress continues...

Summary of presentation:
• Notable single core generational perf bump in new MBP
• MPB includes a great display and KB/TP
• MBP less RAM at pricepoint, but can be matched for +$
• Perfect thermals in Studio, problematic thermals in MBP
• More modern GPU in MBP helps Cinema4D

If are running full speed, MPB fan noise and heat dissipation will be a drawback, but maybe no more so than they have been since the inception of the device.

Annoying tidbit of the presentation is that the bar-charts are not properly scaled, and the percentage arithmetic is sometimes slightly wrong, but it doesn't change the story.

Assume next gen Studio will see nice perf bump,

Conclusion, what was amazing last year always looks lackluster next year. But that's a good problem to have.