M3 Ultra: The Best Breakthrough or the Worst Outcome for Apple’s Most Specialized Product

The advent of Apple silicon has not been particularly favorable for the Mac Pro, with its target demographic shrinking even further as of today. Yet, as the saying goes, it’s always darkest before the dawn, suggesting a potential resurgence for this Mac workstation.

A Quick Look Back at the Mac Pro

Being a Mac Pro isn’t easy.

The Mac Pro name originated in 2006 when the Power Mac G5, which had a PowerPC chip, was succeeded by a desktop tower that switched to an Intel processor while maintaining a similar design.

In 2013, Apple introduced the compact cylindrical Mac Pro, which turned out to be both stunning and somewhat troublesome.

In 2019, Apple returned to a more traditional desktop tower design, moving away from the so-called trash can style and embracing an aesthetic that balanced design and functionality.

Combined with the 32-inch Apple Pro Display XDR featuring 6K Retina resolution, the Mac Pro reclaimed its status as the most robust machine in Apple’s offerings. Apple even offered separate upgrades for storage and GPU.

A year later, the transition to Apple silicon commenced.

The Rise of the Mac Studio

With the introduction of Apple’s M1 processor, performance saw a significant boost over the Intel chips. This first Apple silicon chip vastly improved the MacBook Air and iMac, enabling the latter to adopt a redesign that resembled an oversized iPad.

Apple subsequently unveiled the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, which enhanced the performance ceiling for the revamped 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

In 2022, Apple launched an entirely new desktop workstation with the Mac Studio, which debuted alongside the M1 Ultra chip — essentially two M1 Max chips combined. This significantly elevated the performance benchmarks for Apple silicon, overshadowing the now three-year-old Intel Mac Pro.

Amidst all this, there were expectations for an M2 Extreme chip to deliver even higher performance for the Mac Pro. However, the manufacturing costs of such a specialized chip likely proved prohibitive for this niche machine.

The Arrival of the Apple Silicon Mac Pro

In 2023, the first Apple silicon Mac Pro was finally introduced to replace the 2019 Intel version. However, this new iteration didn’t exactly signal a return to the device’s former glory.

The Mac Pro now featured the same M2 Ultra chip found in the second-gen Mac Studio.

With Apple silicon integrating CPU, GPU, and RAM into a single package, the ability to incrementally upgrade RAM and GPU performance over time was eliminated.

As a result, the Mac Pro’s only advantages over the Mac Studio were its additional ports and PCIe slots.

However, the PCIe slots in the Mac Pro do not allow for GPU performance upgrades using third-party graphics cards, as GPU capabilities are determined during configuration at the point of purchase.

Apple’s description of the potential uses for the Mac Pro’s PCIe slots is somewhat limited:

You can install many different PCIe cards in your Mac Pro, such as fibre channel cards, fiber networking cards, video and audio I/O cards, storage cards, and ethernet cards.

The press release for the M2 Ultra Mac Pro emphasized its appeal to audio and video professionals who may require internal expansions:

The new Mac Pro brings PCIe expansion to Apple silicon for pros who want the performance of M2 Ultra and rely on internal expansion for their workflows. Mac Pro features seven PCIe expansion slots, with six open expansion slots that support gen 4, which is 2x faster than before, allowing users to customize Mac Pro with essential cards. From audio pros needing digital signal processing (DSP) cards to video pros requiring serial digital interface (SDI) I/O cards for connecting with professional cameras and monitors, to those needing additional networking and storage capabilities, Mac Pro empowers professionals to tailor their systems to push the limits of their most demanding workflows.

The Costly Downfall of the Mac Pro

Now, two years later, the Mac Pro has further entrenched itself in niche territory. This is primarily due to Apple’s recent update of the Mac Studio, which features an unexpectedly peculiar chip configuration.

Starting today, customers can order a Mac Studio with either an M4 Max chip or the newly released M3 Ultra chip. While M4 sounds more advanced than M3, the comparison truly lies between a single M4 Max and two M3 Max chips.

The latest Mac Studio stands as the inaugural machine sporting the M3 Ultra chip, reclaiming the title of the most powerful Mac available.

Meanwhile, the Mac Pro continues to operate on the M2 Ultra chip, despite its seven PCIe slots.

The Showdown: Mac Studio vs. Mac Pro

Currently, comparing the performance of the M3 Ultra to the M2 Ultra effectively parallels the assessment of the Mac Studio against the Mac Pro, a comparison that is decidedly unfavorable for the latter.

On a broader scale, the M3 Ultra Mac Studio can deliver up to 1.5x faster CPU performance and 2x faster GPU performance compared to the Mac Pro. The RAM differences are even more pronounced, especially for those utilizing local AI models. Below is a chart to highlight the key specifications for each machine:

At least, the Mac Pro still holds the title for the most ports.

Hoping for the Future of the Mac Pro

So, how could the emergence of the M3 Ultra Mac Studio be beneficial for the Mac Pro? This answer relies heavily on optimism and patience from Mac Pro enthusiasts. History has shown that embracing a long-term perspective is essential for these fans.

By maintaining the Mac Pro on the M2 Ultra chip while upgrading the Mac Studio to the M3 Ultra, there’s a potential scenario where the Mac Pro can reclaim its place as the top-performing Mac.

Apple might decide to keep the Mac Studio on the M3 Ultra while reserving the M4 Ultra exclusively for the Mac Pro.

A noteworthy consideration is Apple’s indication that it might not produce an Ultra variant for every generation of chips. This appears to be Apple’s rationale for offering the Mac Studio with both M4 Max and M3 Ultra options, but some might argue it’s an expedient explanation for a complex marketing challenge.

This raises a more foundational question: Is it genuinely beneficial for customers to possess a more potent Mac Pro if doing so compromises the capabilities of the Mac Studio in the future?

If the Mac Pro were to ultimately be upgraded to an M4 Ultra chip, why wouldn’t the Mac Studio receive the M4 Ultra as well?

Advocates for the Mac Pro argue not that the Mac Studio should be less powerful, but that the Pro’s enclosure is engineered to accommodate higher thermal outputs that accompany augmented performance levels.