Claims that Apple is testing an M3 Ultra chip are circulating, painting a picture of the power it may provide the rumoured new Mac Studio.
It’s said that the M3 Ultra silicon may feature a 32-core CPU. Adding to that, developer logs indicate base configurations show it may support 64 GPU cores. However, the high-end version could have a ceiling of 80 GPU cores.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the M3 Ultra chip could be prepped for use within a new Mac Studio. For comparison, the current M2 Ultra offers up to 32 CPU cores. The M2 Ultra Mac supports either a 60-core or 76-core GPU. The leap in graphics processing may seem modest, especially when compared to the 12-core bump the M2 Ultra Mac Studio offers from the 64-core GPU of the M1 Ultra Mac Studio.
However, it shouldn’t be overlooked that an 80-core GPU-powered Mac Studio has the potential to be a powerhouse. Even the M2 Max Mac Studio showed impressive benchmarks when tested by MobileSyrup.
What may become a deterrent for some consumers is the pricing. With an increase in graphics processing, Apple is likely to attach a significant price tag to the Mac Studio. The M2 Ultra Mac Studio is currently priced at $5,499 in Canada. An M3 Ultra-powered Mac Studio could potentially push that pricing to upwards of $6,000.
Thankfully, it appears as though there’s time to start saving. Gurman believes that M3 Macs won’t start shipping until October. However, M3 Pro and M3 Max-powered devices aren’t likely to release until next year. Therefore, an M3 Ultra chip won’t start hitting the market until late-2024 “at the earliest.”
