Mac Studio M4 Max 2025 REVIEW

The Mac Studio is a Compact Powerhouse for Creative Professionals

For many years now, I’ve been using a MacBook Pro as my main daily-driver computer. I recently changed my workspace around and in doing so, I ended up leaving my laptop plugged 100% of the time. While I know that it’s much less of a concern these days, I still wanted to keep my machines in prime working order for as long as possible and I know that battery degradation can occur if it’s always plugged in. So, this got me thinking about acquiring the newest Mac Studio that Apple announced on March 5. While it doesn’t have the same specs as my MacBook Pro, it is a powerful machine that is designed for all-day use.

About Mac Studio 2025

Apple announced two different chipsets with this release — M4 Max or M3 Ultra. New features include Thunderbolt 5 for high-bandwidth expansion, Apple Intelligence for AI-driven productivity, and macOS Sequoia enhancements like iPhone Mirroring. The Mac Studio is also designed with sustainability in mind, incorporating recycled materials and energy-efficient technology.

The compact desktop offers Thunderbolt 5, up to 512GB of unified memory, and 16TB of SSD storage, making it ideal for high-performance workloads, AI processing, and creative professionals. The M4 Max model delivers significant speed improvements over previous Macs, with a powerful GPU and Neural Engine. The M3 Ultra variant offers even greater performance, supporting up to 80 GPU cores and enabling advanced AI and machine learning applications.

The full list of technical specs can be found here.

Pricing & Availability

The Mac Studio M4 Max has a starting price of $1,999 while the Mac Studio M3 Ultra starts at $3,999.

Unboxing

One of the things I was most-surprised with when purchasing the Mac Studio was the size of the box. While the computer itself is indeed larger than its younger brother (the Mac Mini), I was still shocked at the amount of packaging that came with it. The only items in the box are the Mac Studio, it’s power cable, and a small packet of information. The packaging is probably at least twice as large as the computer itself. While it’s all recyclable, I was still surprised since packaging is so much more minimal with other devices. I already had a monitor, Apple keyboard, and Apple Magic Trackpad, so I didn’t need to acquire new ones. If you don’t already have those items, that’s something to take into consideration since the only item included is the actual computer and its power cable.

Set Up

Just like other Apple products, the Mac Studio is very easy to get started with. You plug it into power, connect it to the internet (via WiFi or Ethernet), and connect it to your iCloud instance. At this point, you can run system updates and allow your iCloud data to sync. I store a lot in my iCloud Drive so I knew this process might take a while. So, I completed it before running benchmark tests.

Something else to consider with the set up process is the space the Mac Studio will need. While it’s still a compact computer, it does take up a decent amount of desk space. I happen to have a Balolo Setup Cockpit Monitor Stand on my desk, which has 3.9 inches of clearance under it. The Mac Studio stands 3.7 inches so I am able to store it under that. There are several add-on options for the Mac Studio, too. One of my favorites is the Stand & Hub For Mac Mini / Studio With NVMe SSD Enclosure by Satechi. It’s provides additional access to peripherals for the Mac Studio as well as additional storage in a device that looks cohesive with the Mac Studio (and the older Mac Mini units).

Benchmark Testing

When I get a new computer I always run a few different benchmark tests including:

• Geekbench 6: A cross-platform benchmark that evaluates CPU and GPU performance in real-world scenarios. It measures single-core and multi-core processor performance by running a variety of workloads, such as image processing, machine learning, and compiling code. It also includes a GPU test for graphics and compute performance.
• Geekbench AI: A dedicated AI and machine learning benchmark that tests the performance of AI-specific workloads. It evaluates how well a device handles tasks like image classification, object detection, and natural language processing using frameworks like TensorFlow and Core ML.
• Cinebench: A CPU rendering benchmark that uses Maxon’s Cinema 4D engine to assess multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. It is commonly used to measure a CPU’s ability to handle 3D rendering tasks, making it popular among content creators and PC enthusiasts.
• NovaBench: A general system performance benchmark that tests CPU, GPU, RAM, and disk speed. It provides a single overall score, making it useful for quick comparisons between different systems. Unlike Geekbench, NovaBench also includes storage speed assessments.

These tests help determine various aspects of a system’s performance. Even though a couple of these tests might duplicate efforts, I wanted to make sure all the bases were covered. Here are the results and where they measure against other systems that are reported to the different databases.

Geekbench 6

What does this mean?

The M4 Max (4008 single-core, 23,802 multi-core) outperforms Intel’s i9-13900KS (3132 single-core, 21,586 multi-core) and i9-14900KF (3090 single-core, 20,673 multi-core) in both single-core and multi-core tests. The single-core lead (~28% over the i9-14900KF) is significant, showcasing Apple’s continued dominance in per-core efficiency. The multi-core lead (~10% over the i9-13900KS) is notable but not as dramatic, suggesting that Intel still holds ground in heavy multi-threaded tasks.

The M4 Max GPU (100,705) is significantly behind dedicated NVIDIA GPUs like the RTX 4090 (318,009) and RTX 5090 D (389,415). This confirms that while Apple’s integrated GPU is powerful for creative work, it still lags behind discrete GPUs for high-end gaming or CUDA-based workloads.

Geekbench AI

Framework: Core ML | Backend: Neural Engine

What does this mean?

Apple’s Neural Engine shows strong performance, particularly in half-precision (35,636) and quantized workloads (49,847). The single-precision score (5,976) suggests that while Apple’s AI acceleration is competitive, its Neural Engine thrives in lower-precision AI computations, making it highly efficient for tasks like machine learning inference and real-time processing.

Cinebench

CPU (Multi Core) test

What does this mean?

The M4 Max (1755 single-core) leads the pack, outperforming:

• M1 Ultra (1625, ~8% slower)
• Intel Xeon W-3265M (1579, ~11% slower)

This reinforces Apple’s single-threaded dominance while suggesting its multi-core scaling isn’t as dramatic, likely due to architectural differences compared to x86 CPUs.

NovaBench

The System Rank passed with a note stating that it ranks higher than 96% of all systems tested.

What does this mean?

The Mac Studio 2025 M4 Max (4,063 overall) ranks higher than 96% of tested systems. The CPU Single-Core score (2,109) confirms excellent per-core performance. However, its GPU score (650) is far behind the M3 Ultra and M2 Ultra Macs, suggesting a less optimized NovaBench GPU test or a potential bottleneck in Apple’s latest GPU architecture.

Other Tests

I also ran a network speed test to make sure the Mac Studio was getting the best possible wired connection. My home network is powered by AT&T Fiber 1Gig service. I connected the Mac Studio with a CAT7 Ethernet cable. Speedtest by Ookla is a network performance test that measures internet speed, including download and upload speeds, latency (ping), and jitter. It connects to the nearest test server and provides real-time results on a user’s internet connection quality. The results showed that the Mac Studio was getting 929.66 Mbps DOWNLOAD / 899.36 Mbps UPLOAD.

Finally, I tested the hard drive disk speed using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. It’s a benchmarking tool used to measure the read and write speeds of storage devices, such as SSDs, HDDs, and external drives. It helps users determine how well their storage performs, particularly for video editing and high-bandwidth applications. The results were 4016.2 Mb/s WRITE & 3006.4 Mb/s READ.

Conclusion

The Mac Studio 2025 M4 Max is a powerhouse of a desktop, delivering exceptional single-core CPU performance, impressive AI processing capabilities, and strong efficiency for creative workflows. While it may not match dedicated NVIDIA GPUs for gaming or CUDA workloads, it excels in optimized Apple software and AI-driven applications. The seamless setup, high-speed storage, and robust build quality make it a compelling choice for professionals seeking a reliable and compact desktop solution. However, its pricing, lack of bundled peripherals, and the necessity for additional accessories could be drawbacks for some users. Overall, it is an outstanding machine for those who prioritize macOS, Apple’s ecosystem, and performance efficiency over raw GPU power.

For more information, visit apple.com