Most of those using a 2019 Mac Pro should switch to the Mac Studio, rather than the 2023 Mac Pro, argues Macworld videographer and gamer Thiago Trevisan.
He argues that there’s only one reason to choose the current Mac Pro over the much more compact Mac Studio, despite the fact that the 2019 model was “the best workstation [he has] ever owned” …
Back in April, 9to5Mac videographers Jeff Benjamin and Miles Somerville both praised the Mac Studio – even observing that you don’t necessarily need to splurge for the Ultra version.
Even the base Mac Studio is a great overall computer and a massive step up in usability over any M1 Mac that Apple sells. It features way more I/O than either of the other Apple Silicon-powered desktop options, runs quieter than any of the company’s laptops, and features relatively generous specs for the $1,999 base model.
When guys who create phenomenally impressive videos day after day rate a machine for video editing, you know it has to be good.
Macworld’s Thiago Trevisan has now echoed that view, after trialling the machine against his impressively specced 2019 Mac Pro.
Here’s one real-world example: I took a 20-minute clip of R3D Raw 6K video and exported it to ProRes 422 HQ. The 2019 Intel Mac Pro with a 28-core CPU and the Radeon Pro W6800X Duo graphics had the same speed as the M2 Ultra with a 76-core GPU.
He does note that you can get 16% faster by equipping the Mac Pro with a pair of AMD 6900 XT GPUs, but that’s not a cheap upgrade, and surprisingly limited gain for the money.
Trevisan is also a gamer who builds his own high-end PCs, and he was again impressed by the comparison.
In Rise of the Tomb Raider in 4K, the M2 Ultra did surprisingly well, reaching framerates of 73 fps, which was three fps faster than the much more expensive Intel Mac Pro with the Radeon Pro W6800x Duo graphics–with games, only one of the two GPUs is used.
Again, he does note that adding a pair of AMD’s top-end GPUs can push it to 85fps.
Comparing the M2 Ultra variants of both 2023 Mac Pro and 2023 Mac Studio, he says that while the larger casing and better ventilation might seem to favor the more expensive machine under sustained load, that doesn’t seem to be the case in real-life use. The only reason to opt for the Pro, he concludes, is if you need those PCIe slots.
The only net positive here is the PCIe slots. This is huge for anyone who wants a neat workspace with internal storage, and external Thunderbolt devices can be bulky and make fan noise. This is a very reasonable approach for some. (Thunderbolt enclosures are also not cheap, often costing hundreds.) The extra $3,000 cost can somewhat be justified by this all-encompassing, gorgeous Mac Pro chassis.
Otherwise, he says, the Mac Studio is essentially a Mac Pro in a much more compact form factor.
A report earlier in the year even found that some video pros have instead opted for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, thanks to the ability to work while on the road.
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