Updated March 2025 – MacStudio Release

I’ve been digging deep into the M4 experience since the new M4 Mac Mini systems came out.

Not just specs or generic benchmarks, but real-world analysis. I dug into user experiences (primarily favorable, but not 100%) from sites like Reddit and practical benchmarks from PugetSystems (a PC manufacturer who publishes free testing tools for performance).

With some serious data crunching, I’ve updated this article. The prior version is visible here.

That new $599 MacMini looks great, don’t it?

DO NOT BUY IT!!!  It’s too limited for what you want to do!

A reminder on Apple hardware: When discussing production systems, we have to get it right. Little or no parts of it are upgradeable.

Two struggles around the current Apple products:

1. Apple’s site feels like information overload, so I originally wrote this article.
2. Clarity struggles between Silicon families. Yes, the M4 is faster than an M3. But is an M4 Pro better than an M3 Max? Yes, it is!

This is slanted toward post-production because I consult/edit/color it for a living.

This article is broken down into four sections:

• TL;DR – What precise system should you buy?
• Understanding Apple’s M family – Both the generation and the naming.
• System dissection – Understanding why I made the choices I did.
• Last thoughts – About associated hardware you might need.

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TL;DR

The cheat sheet – the Too Long; Didn’t Read section. Yes, you can read just this section and ignore the rest of the article (but you’ll miss all sorts of cool details!)

Two decisions:

1. Mobile or Desktop?
2. What meets your budget?

Prices are based on Apple’s site in the US as of March 5, 2025. The details (cores, RAM) are to help match the pricing.

Mobile/Laptop

“I want a laptop as my sole system.”

MacBook Pro 16-inch @ $4,199
• M4 Max with 16 cores
• 64GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• Excellent screen (XDR)
• Three Thunderbolt ports
• (Cheaper by $300 as a 14″)

The biggest change from the prior article is the M4 Max vs. the M3 Max.

“I want the cheapest laptop – but I need it as functional as possible.”

MacBook Air 13-inch @ $1,599
• M4 Stock 10 cores
• 24GB RAM
• 1TB SSD

Yes, I’d like some more RAM, but I tried to keep this as viably bare bones as possible.

Desktop

“I want a solid desktop system.”

MacStudio M4 Max @ $2,899
• M4 Max 14 Cores
• 64GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• Four Thunderbolt 5 ports

This would be a great everyday system for most people. 

“I want the cheapest desktop – but it needs to be functional.”

MacMini M4 (not Pro) @ $1,399
• M4 Stock 10-Core
• 32GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• Three Thunderbolt Ports

Seriously, don’t buy the bottom stock M4 MacMini with its RAM or SSD. See about the CPU levels as the M4 Pro is more than “just one step up” below.

“I want a killer desktop, but skip Apple’s crazy tier.”

MacStudio @ $5,599
• M3 Ultra, 28-core
• 256GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• SIX Thunderbolt ports

Yes, there’s some flexibility to go down to as little as $3,999 – see the notes below.

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Genesis of this article

When Apple released the M series of chips, I found myself confused about the tiers. Some support specific RAM configurations. Some have more/less efficient cores.

Once I figured it out? It’s exhausting and less precise than Apple should ever be. If I needed help, other people would, too.

I walked someone through a build, and I realized that when I compare models, I eliminate identical information, much like a math equation. This makes the decision easier.

What I needed was a clear, concise guide to the best Mac for a professional media creator/post-production user, along with a decoder ring to explain the differences in the models.

That’s what this article is. This is the guide I needed, not a series of numbers. The number of cores, for example, is significant, but they quickly lead to decision paralysis.

I’m approaching this as a professional user, not just looking for the best deal.

I will never recommend a system with less than 1TB of SSD. I’m not going to skimp on RAM. It also means that Apple’s top chip is almost always on top for a short time.

We must get this right since Apple has made upgrading anything (the RAM, CPU, or storage) impossible.

In other words, saving $100 or $200 on RAM or storage is a bad choice.

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Understanding Apple’s M Family of Chips

Apple marketing has classically avoided using numbers. They talk about feelings and the experience.

However, their marketing for the M Series is all numbers. Cores, efficiency cores, GPU cores, and Neural Engine cores.

Of course, these systems are faster. But frustratingly, it’s a confusion of cores (four different types!) and names like Pro and Max.

Is the Max better than the Pro? Is the Pro better than the Ultra? What about the GPU cores, the Neural Engine cores, and the GPU cores?

It’s enough to make your head spin.

Meh.

I dug through a bucket of tables and stats and simplified them to make them more accessible.

There are four chip generations: M1, M2, M3, and M4.

There are four tiers: Stock, Pro, Max, and Ultra (in that order).

Here is my breakdown:

• Stock Chip: Functional, has a ProRes Encoder (except the M1 stock chip)\
• Pro: This is your ideal entry-level chip in nearly every case
• Max: More cores, more RAM. Max it out. If you can afford this, get it
• Ultra: Glue two Max chips together. Seriously, that’s what they did. There is no M4 Ultra at this time

In every place possible, pick the M4 chips. They are generally 10-20% faster than the prior generation.

On a silly note for Scott Simmons, Apple’s order/naming left me confused. I’m an old-school geek, so my cheat sheet is PMU, an old Apple Power Management Unit term. That’s the order of the power of the chips: Pro, Max, Ultra. And yes, that’s a dumb way to remember the order.

Getting to the Core of It. Understanding the different cores.

Sorry for the pun there.

There are three (four) types of cores:

• CPU cores (two types: Efficiency and Performance)
• GPU cores
• Neural Engine cores

CPU Cores

Two types of cores: Efficiency and Performance.

These are the most crucial factor in the performance your system.

Every Apple specification names the number of cores…but it takes digging to get how many are Performance cores and how many are Efficiency cores.

Performance Cores: Generally, the more performance cores, the better. These are what we want.
Efficiency Cores are how laptops have crazy battery life – they’re optimized for 1/10th the power consumption. It sounds better than saying a chip has ten cores instead of only four powerful cores, right?

It’s hard to decode this without digging into the exact specs of the different builds. So that’s what I did.

This list should help:

• M4 stock = 4 performance cores + 6 efficiency cores
• M4 Pro = 10 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores
• M4 Max = 12 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores (this can vary based on model)
• M3 Ultra = 20 performance cores + 8 efficiency cores

Notice the leap from the M4 Stock to the M4 Pro???

The M4 Pro has 2 1/2 times more performance cores than the M4 stock chip. This is why the M4 Pro is the baseline I suggest anybody get.

RAM choices

This is dead simple. You can never, ever add RAM to these systems. The RAM is shared with the GPU.

So we max this out until we hit 64GB. Above that, it’s nice but less critical.

GPU Cores

Despite using video tools, the GPU doesn’t significantly assist in most cases – it’s more of a “meet a threshold,” and quickly, the value of extra cores levels off.

GPU is rarely the bottleneck.

CPU cores and RAM are more likely spots. See above about RAM choices.

Remember, GPU RAM is shared with the system RAM.

A note on the Ultra for Resolve users: I’m going to mention this again. Resolve is one place where the Ultra is the right choice. There are significantly more GPU cores on an Ultra chip. If you’re a Resolve user (or C4D Redshift user), you will find that having extra cores makes a major difference as these tools maximize the user of the GPU. For example, GPU computes functions like video noise reduction.

Neural Engine cores

Two notes about this.

First note: So many tools don’t use the neural engine but rely on CPU and GPU capability. For example, Photoshop uses the Neural Engine for the new AI features (called Neural features), but Premiere doesn’t use the Neural Engine cores.

Final Cut uses the Neural Engine for its object-tracking feature but not for color. It takes specialized development to use these optimized libraries; developers often adopt some translation level to save development dollars.

What tools utilize Apple’s neural engine right now? Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and Topaz Video AI are in some parts of the tool – just not everywhere.

Second note: All the systems have 16 Neural Cores except for the Ultra. And why does the Ultra have 32 neural cores? Because the Ultra is two Max chips glued together. So, no particular build has an advantage here.

Media Engine

The Media Engines on M series chips significantly accelerate encoding and decoding tasks.

ProRes, HEVC, and H.264 benefit from dedicated encode/decode engines – critical for video editors. These engines dramatically reduce CPU load during playback and export. This frees up the CPU/GPU resources for other intensive tasks, enhancing overall system efficiency.

Revisiting our list for the Media Engine:
M4 stock = One video encode engine/one video decode
M4 Pro = Same as the stock chip
M4 Max = One video decode engine, Two video encode engines. Faster exports!
M3 Ultra = Two video decode engines, Four video encode engines

So, the M4 Max chip really helps. The Max and Ultra have two encode/decode engines for ProRes – so ProRes workflows are even significantly optimized.

Storage choices

SSD. I can’t believe you’d consider anything less than a 1TB SSD.

I’m almost at the point where I want 2TB all the time. Your fastest caches will be on Apple’s internal custom SSD.

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System Builds/Dissection

Laptops/Mobile Workstations

I’ve been a mobile user since Apple created PowerBooks. I even remember the MacPortable.

I get the appeal of working from anywhere: the coffee shop, the beach, downstairs with the dog. If I find you on the beach with a MacBook Pro, I will kick sand in your face and take your computer.

Having a portable system isn’t for working on the couch. It’s to be in a client’s office or working on set. I get the appeal of being in a coffee shop; it wears thin when you must break down your system every time you need a bio break. Portability comes at a cost. Apple has done a fantastic job extending battery life, but we will use external drives and extra monitors for the additional real estate.

“My laptop is my only computer” configuration:

MacBook Pro 16/14-inch, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD, $4,199/$3,899

The only real question is: 14″ or 16″? The 14″ is cheaper and will save you $300. The 16″ has four more hours of battery life.

Which processor?

M4 Pro or M4 Max? If this is your sole computer, please choose the Max. It will perform in the same league as an M2 Ultra Mac Studio.

Two CPU configs are available (14 and 16 cores). The extra $300 for the two more cores is worth it.

How much RAM? 64GB. If you live in Adobe After Effects or Resolve, consider more.

Storage: Up to you. I spec’d all of these out at 1TB.

Notes: This screen is fantastic. If you’re using this with a second monitor, you’ll also want the laptop screen open because the main screen is so good and likely your best entry into the world of HDR.

It has three Thunderbolt 4 ports. I’ll need a dock. I want both a portable dock and a desktop dock. The portable dock is for the beach.

“I want the cheapest usable laptop” configuration:

MacBook Air 13-inch, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD, $1,599 (32GB RAM: $1,799)

You’re buying this because the above choice is too expensive. I struggled to get the best system as cheaply as possible (well under $2k).

Look, for $1,999, the 14″ MacBook Pro with M4 stock chip and 24GB RAM + 1TB SSD is available. It’s a great screen, but is the XDR screen worth $400? If you’re straining your finances, this is too much.

How good could we make a MacBook Air?

There is no Pro or Max chip here. It’s just the stock M4.

RAM: 24GB of RAM minimum.

Storage: 1TB SSD. You can save money by picking the 512GB. Don’t do it.

It only has two Thunderbolt ports, so 100% you’re buying a dock.

The one upgrade I’d 100% do is to 32GB of RAM.

Desktop Systems

If I didn’t have to travel, I’d skip the allure of laptops. Desktop systems are more stable and cheaper across the board. They avoid focusing on miniaturization, and battery life isn’t a factor.

 

“I want a solid desktop system” configuration:

MacStudio M4 Max $2,899, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD

This is a fantastic everyday machine. It’s not the beefiest out there, but it’s no slouch. Just because it’s not an Ultra doesn’t mean it’s not going to scream for most of your uses. It’s a solid system for day-to-day use at a reasonable price/performance ratio.

CPU: When configuring this, you must choose between the two M4 Max chips. You have to pick the 16-core to get 64GB of RAM.

RAM: We will max out the RAM at this level, 64GB.

Storage: 1TB SSD, but I’d agree in a heartbeat to a 2TB SSD.

While I love the new MacMini M4 systems, the best MacMini (M4 Pro, 64GB, 1TB SSD), is $2,399. For five hundred more, I’m getting the Studio with the Max chip and more Thunderbolt ports.

“I want the cheapest desktop, but it needs to be functional” configuration:

Mac Mini M4 (not Pro) 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD @ $1,399

This is a killer system for the price.

The M4 stock is faster than an M3 Max in some benchmarks. If you’re currently on an M2 or M1, this is a great choice.

CPU: Have to pick the stock chip. The M4 Pro adds $400. Worth it – but as soon as I’m there…I’m getting close to the Studio Price.

RAM: Max it out. 32GB.

Storage: A 1TB SSD, which you’re already bored with my saying.

Notes: This system can be configured with 10Gig Ethernet. If you’re running any shared storage, you 100% want to buy hardware with 10Gig E.

“I’m willing to pay for it” configuration:

Mac Studio Ultra M3 $5,599, 256GB RAM, 1TB SSD (or Ultra M3 96GB RAM, 1TB SSD $3,999)

The Ultra M3 96 is just below my spec for the MacBook Pro. Where’s the M4 Ultra (see notes below)?

I wanted to create a great system without it being, “Oh, I ticked every box except the exorbitantly priced SSD and RAM box.” That’s a $14,000 system.

What would be the best Mac Studio without maxing everything out?

CPU: At this point, you will understand that I’m looking at the M3 Ultra chip, not the M4 Max. Two Ultra chips are available.

What is the difference of $1,600 for the top-of-the-line chip? Not worth it for the 20 extra GPUs. From 60 GPU cores to 80 cores? Not worth it.

RAM: 256 of RAM. It would be valid to consider that too much and save $1,600 and have only 96GB of RAM.

Storage: I still picked the 1TB SSD, but realistically, I’d look at the 2TB SSD given how expensive this is.

Notes: You’re getting six Thunderbolt 5 ports here, two on the front. I’d still want a dock for USB 3 devices.

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Last thoughts and things that didn’t fit above

It can be overwhelming to try and figure out what’s the best system for you. I’ve shown you why I made the choices I did. So, if you want to change anything, you’re at least understanding how I got here.

Adobe After Effects or BlackMagic DaVinci Resolve users

Using Adobe After Effects? If you’re using a MacBook Pro or Ultra, get as much RAM as you can afford. It’s just a necessity.

Using Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve? Yes, get the extra GPU cores. Yes, get the additional RAM anywhere you can. I’d get the 256GB RAM Ultra, but it’d be a very hard sell for the 512GB RAM.

Why isn’t there an M4 Ultra?

It looks like Apple is not choosing to create an M4 Ultra at this time. It could be because it’s a tiny part of Apple’s market. It could be because the chip yields of gluing two M4 Max chips together is not great. It could be that Apple wants to extend the life of the M3 line before moving to the M4s.

There is no M4 Ultra…yet and maybe there won’t be.

Why not an iMac?

Configuring an iMac ($2,099) that matches a MacMini M4 ($1,199) means you’re paying $900 for the screen. That’s not HDR. You can do way better.

Buy the Mac Mini and get your screen of choice. The mini can have an M4 Pro…but the iMac can’t..

Where is the MacPro?

Did you even know Apple upgraded the “Mac Pro”?

I’ve talked to a bunch of Post Friends, and it’s been a good laugh – when I mention to people that the MacPro has been upgraded to the M series and has similar offerings as the MacStudio, people ask, “Did I miss that?” Yes. You did.

So, I configured it to match a MacStudio. Except there’s no M3 Ultra. Just an M2 Ultra, 24-core CPU, 60-core GPU, 128GB RAM, and a 2TB SSD. $7,799. Nearly three thousand more. Sure, I have some slots and two more Thunderbolt ports. I can put it on a rack. I’d rather buy a studio and a laptop. I can’t easily make a $3k argument for this hardware.

What about the refurbished systems?

Apple frequently unloads refurbished systems — whenever I check, they tend to be the sweet spot of sales – not the builds I want. But…If you’re looking to shave 10% off, yes, the refurbished models are a decent bargain as long as you get AppleCare.

Extra expenses:

AppleCare

If you’re on a mobile system, you 100% get this.

If you’re buying a desktop, make sure your credit card gives you the equivalent insurance, and/or your business insurance has a rider for electronics. Generally, I don’t buy AppleCare for a desktop.

Dock

Yes, you need one, especially as a laptop user.

Desktop or Laptop. It’s a necessity. I have at least six different peripherals attached to my system. I have a Desktop Dock and a Mobile Dock (for the beach) – both made by OWC.

MacBook Air and two screens

The MacBook Air and any stock M4 chip can finally have more than one screen. But the older Airs? One external screen. A workaround for multiple displays utilizing a DisplayLink driver and some specialized USB to HDMI docks exists.

Do your research, as not every dock will work.

Did I miss anything?

Probably. The internet isn’t shy.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. If you have a use case of something I missed, I’ll amend this article because I intend to keep it a living document.

Thanks for reading. Hope I’ve helped you spend your money!