Apple Mac Studio 2023 review – The M2 Max also impresses in a desktop device

Apple’s Mac Studio left a great impression on us with its M2 Max SoC, too. The compact desktop computer offers great performance levels even when used for complex tasks such as video editing and native uses which have been optimized for Apple’s ARM SoCs. At the same time, the compact device remains extremely quiet in every situation and even under load, the two fans only produce a barely audible whirring noise. We also have nothing negative to say about its connectivity options – it features a multitude of Thunderbolt 4 ports as well as a standard 10-Gbit/s Ethernet connection. In contrast to the small Mac Mini, this device is also kitted out with two USB-C ports as well as a fast card reader on the front.

The Mac Studio may be a desktop computer at its core, but its M2 Max is the same mobile processor which can be found in the MacBook Pro models. You can optionally get the Mac with the M2 Ultra, which combines two M2 Max SoCs and greatly improves performance levels again. Even so, true desktop components from Intel, AMD or Nvidia are much better equipped when it comes to pure performance – but you also won’t find any of those in a device as compact as this.

Modern connectivity options, very good performance and practically silent operation: The Apple Mac Studio is truly a great compact desktop computer – which also comes at a price. Furthermore, the device doesn’t have any maintenance options whatsoever. 

Similar to the MacBook Pro models, we only have two major points of critique to highlight on the Mac Studio. It may be a desktop computer, but it features no maintenance options at all. In the same breath, we have to bring up the base model’s features. 32 GB RAM may be sufficient, but its small 512-GB SSD isn’t and it also can’t come close to the speeds of larger SSDs. In our opinion, the base model should come fitted with a 1-TB SSD.

This brings us to the second issue, namely upgrades and their hefty surcharges. Of course, it’s beneficial that the compact computer can be upgraded to have up to 8 TB of SSD storage ex works, but Apple’s US$200 price to upgrade from 512 GB to 1 TB is outrageous. To compare: The 1-TB version of the super-fast Samsung 980 Pro currently costs about US$75.