How fast are the Mac Pro "M2 Ultra" (2023) models compared to the Mac Studio and the previous Mac Pro models?

In the combined company press release for the "2023" Mac Pro models -- the Mac Pro "M2 Ultra" 24 CPU/60 GPU and Mac Pro "M2 Ultra" 24 CPU/76 GPU -- and the "2023" Mac Studio models -- the Mac Studio "M2 Max" 12 CPU/30 GPU and Mac Studio "M2 Ultra" 24 CPU/60 GPU -- Apple places more emphasis on the Mac Studio.

The title alone -- Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro -- makes it clear that the Mac Studio is the primary focus going forward. In many respects, one could argue that the "2023" Mac Pro is the more new system of the two -- it is vastly different internally compared to its predecessor -- whereas the "2023" Mac Studio practically is a simple "speed bump" of the "2022" Mac Studio it replaced.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Mac Pro M2 Ultra 2023)

Apple does make a general performance claim for the "2023" Mac Pro compared to the "2019" Mac Pro it replaced -- the "Mac Pro is up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Intel-based model" -- and the company delivers some specifics focused on video production:

When compared to the Intel-based [2019] Mac Pro, [the 2023] Mac Pro with M2 Ultra:

• Empowers demanding real-world pro workflows like video transcoding and 3D simulations to run up to 3x faster.
• Enables video engineers to ingest 24 4K camera feeds and encode them to ProRes in real time, all on a single machine, when using six video I/O cards.

Apple also popped out a second press release for the M2 Ultra processor that promises to "take Mac performance further than ever," but it, also, focuses more on the Mac Studio.

Furthermore, neither of these press releases compares the performance of the "2023" Mac Pro to the "2023" Mac Studio at all. Independent, objective testing also can be worthwhile to compare the "2023" Mac Pro to the earlier "2019" Mac Pro that it replaced.

General Performance Overview

For a helpful overview of the performance difference between the "2023" Mac Pro models and other Macs, EveryMac.com's own Ultimate Mac Comparison makes it quick to compare side-by-side Geekbench benchmark averages with all other G3 and later Macs for thousands of possible performance comparisons.

This Q&A combines Geekbench 5 benchmarks with our own independent evaluation for a deeper dive into the performance of these Macs.

2023 Mac Studio vs. 2023 Mac Pro

As you likely would expect given their identical CPU and GPU combos, the higher-end "2023" Mac Studio -- the Mac Studio "M2 Ultra" 24 CPU/60 GPU -- and entry-level "2023" Mac Pro -- the Mac Pro "M2 Ultra" 24 CPU/60 GPU -- essentially are the same speed.

Accordingly, if you do not need the extra expansion provided by the Mac Pro -- support for internal storage upgrades, PCIe slots, and more ports -- the Mac Studio is an excellent value. The Mac Pro basically is the same speed in single-core and multicore tasks but costs 75% more (US$6999 instead of US$3999).

The even cheaper entry-level "2023" Mac Studio -- the Mac Studio "M2 Max" 12 CPU/30 GPU -- also is the same speed as the "2023" Mac Pro in single-core tasks, but with twice the number of cores, the Mac Pro "M2 Ultra" 24 CPU/60 GPU crushes the Mac Studio in multicore tasks, clocking in at around 88% faster. Of course, this entry-level Mac Studio only costs US$1999 compared to US$6999 for the Mac Pro; so the Mac Pro costs 250% or so more, as well.

2019 Mac Pro vs. 2023 Mac Pro

Compared to the "2019" Mac Pro models introduced four years earlier, the "2023" Mac Pro wallops them across the board:

2019 Mac Pro	2023 Mac Pro	Single Core	Multicore
"8-Core" 3.5 (2019)	"M2 Ultra" 24/60	+95%	+251%
"12-Core" 3.3 (2019)		+79%	+138%
"16-Core" 3.2 (2019)		+79%	+95%
"24-Core" 2.7 (2019)		+79%	+61%
"28-Core" 2.5 (2019)		+78%	+47%

Of these comparisons, probably the "core for core" comparison between the Mac Pro "24-Core" 2.7 (2019) and Mac Pro "M2 Ultra" 24/60 (2023) is the most fair. On this basis, the "2023" Mac Pro is impressively faster -- and no doubt Apple's test results are accurate for the specific tests presented -- but it is not three times faster in this benchmark comparison. When it was first introduced, this "2019" Mac Pro cost a whopping 72% more (US$11,999 rather than US$6999), but on the used market, it is much cheaper.

Of course, because the "2019" Mac Pro models have upgradable RAM (up to 1.5 TB rather than just 64 GB in the default "2023" Mac Pro configuration that cannot be upgraded later) as well as upgradable processors and video cards, the "2019" Mac Pro models likely can remain quite competitive for some tasks despite their age.

Performance Summary

Ultimately, the "2023" Mac Pro models provide impressive performance, but for those who do not mind a practically sealed and disposable box, the Mac Studio models provide essentially the same performance at a much lower price. The older "2019" Mac Pro models are significantly slower, but still have plenty of life left, particularly given discount prices on the used market and substantial expansion capabilities.

In the US, for new Mac Pro and Mac Studio models, visit site sponsor Adorama. For used Macs, try Other World Computing, which offers a wide variety of options. On the other hand, if you need to sell a Mac Pro or another Mac, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac will buy your older one with an instant quote and prompt payment.

In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs has a good selection of used and refurbished Macs with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK.