In terms of raw CPU power, the M4 Max emerges as the leader. With a 54% faster single-core score and a 25% faster multi-core score compared to the M2 Ultra, it delivers smoother and more responsive performance for everyday tasks.

For the first time ever though, Apple is offering the Mac Studio with two different generations of chip. The entry-level $1,999 Mac Studio is powered by the M4 Max, while the more powerful $3,999 Mac Studio is the only Mac to ship with the M3 Ultra.

The M4 Max Mac Studio comes standard with a 14-core CPU (10 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores), a 32-core GPU, 36GB of unified memory, and a 512GB SSD. This review looks at the M4 Max option with a 16-core CPU (two more performance cores), a 40-core GPU, 128GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which all add $1,700 the price of the Mac Studio.