Buy a Mac Studio now or wait?

[NJRonbo]

Impossible question to answer. All I am asking is what would YOU do?

Looking to buy a M1 Max Studio (64GB/1TB)

I can buy one next week or wait for the rumored release of the M2 models.

There is lots of speculation that a new Studio could surface with the announcement of the new MacBook Pros in February or March. Only 2-3 months away.

Hopefully there won't be an increase in price for similar specs (outside of the silicon chip upgrade)

If you guys are expecting prices to increase perhaps it's better to save money and buy the M1 variant now.

 

[bearcatrp]

I am waiting before deciding. If not much performance jump, will hope the M1 Max studios will drop in price.

 

[NJRonbo]

I am waiting before deciding. If not much performance jump, will hope the M1 Max studios will drop in price.

Been watching the price drops. B&H has $100 off the base model. Adorama $200 off the 64GB/1TB (with APINSIDER code)

I have seen the base model go down as much as $200. That may be the best we can expect unless the release of an M2 is imminent.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

If you can wait, wait, if you need it now, buy. That simple.

It will likely be a couple of months before it will be upgraded, and likely the GPU is the only side that will get a major boost.

 

[Fawkesguyy]

If you can wait, wait, if you need it now, buy. That simple.

It will likely be a couple of months before it will be upgraded, and likely the GPU is the only side that will get a major boost.

Agreed. I just bought a Studio Max 32GPU/64GB/1TB from B&H last week, and I absolutely love it. I'm not going to chase "what's next". I'll keep it until it can't run what I need it to run (hard to imagine) or it no longer receives updates from Apple. It's a killer machine. The next Studio will not make mine less killer. 😊

 

[wdhpgx]

I have the same philosophy as the above. If I can wait, then I wait. If I can't wait, then I buy now.

 

[NJRonbo]

So basically, the M2 is not going to offer any significant performance enhancement over the M1 that a possible 3-month wait is worth it?

 

[Fawkesguyy]

So basically, the M2 is not going to offer any significant performance enhancement over the M1 that a possible 3-month wait is worth it?

"Worth it" is only something you can determine. If your current work is such that it would max out/stress the current Mac Studios, then 1) color me impressed; and 2) it's probably worth waiting.

 

[NJRonbo]

"Worth it" is only something you can determine. If your current work is such that it would max out/stress the current Mac Studios, then 1) color me impressed; and 2) it's probably worth waiting.

It's really more about future-proofing than anything else. In a way, trying to prevent the buy of a new STUDIO today and the M2 gets released in February or March. Plus, it's rumored to be a Midnight color.

So, I have an additional question for you...

When you bought your STUDIO from B&H was there a sale where you paid under Apple price?

I applied for the PAYBOO card which will save me well over $100 in taxes but unfortunately, I am sitting here for what might be a lengthy wait to actually get the card in my hand which is why I haven't purchased from them yet. However, that's the retailer I'm looking to buy from.

 

[Fawkesguyy]

No such thing as "future proofing", in my opinion. There will ALWAYS be something new and "better" around the corner. Three months, six months, a year, whatever. In your original post, you said "I can buy one next week or wait for the rumored release of the M2 models.". So, if you can wait, that means there is no immediate need for a Mac Studio RIGHT THIS MOMENT. So, wait. There is certainly no harm in waiting.

As for B&H, I paid $2799, which is the same as the Apple price. I just paid with my Apple Card, wasn't interested in opening another credit account just to avoid paying tax. In the grand scheme of things, and considering how long I will own this machine, paying sales tax just wasn't an issue for me.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

So basically, the M2 is not going to offer any significant performance enhancement over the M1 that a possible 3-month wait is worth it?

3 months is a small wait if you ask me. But you don't know if that will be 3 days, or 1 year. I always wait for the latest model, just in case, but I almost never need it 'now'.

 

[Feek]

It's only been nine months since it was launched, if you need it now, buy it now. I reckon it'll be at least a year before there's anything else in the Mac Studio line.

 

[sdwaltz]

The base M2 has negligible performance gains over the base M1 - likely that the M2 Pro/Max/Ultra will be similarly negligible.

 

[Fawkesguyy]

So basically, your choices are: a) purchase a great machine now. b) wait, then buy a great machine. Win-win.

 

[SpitUK]

CPU upgrade of the M2 Max over the M1 Max but the GPU performance should be a fantastic upgrade.

 

[JoeDezibel]

The first question you should answer is, what do I need? If you wait for the Mac with the best performance you will wait forever.
What performance do I need today and will it last the next few years? If yes, go and buy it. If no, wait 🙂. That’s what I always do.

 

[aurora_sect]

No such thing as "future proofing", in my opinion. There will ALWAYS be something new and "better" around the corner.

Fair point, but its not really how I conceive of "future proofing." It isn't to ensure that your computer will continue to have the "best" specs. To me it means that I might buy more than I need now to ensure it will do what I need it to 5+ years down the road. I think that is a thing that exists, while agreeing that by your definition, "future proofing" is indeed fiction.

 

[mox358]

I'm in the exact same boat as OP. I've waffled back and forth but like everyone said buy if you need it now, wait if you don't. I'm begrudgingly waiting, as my MBP is doing a fantastic job of keeping up.

 

[tubuliferous]

Hmm…we’ll see! If the 3-nanometer manufacturing process makes it into the next Studio, perhaps that shift will translate to a major bump in performance.

Can more knowledgable folks comment? Would 3 nm transistors likely mean major performance improvements? One can imagine better heat dynamics with a smaller process, allowing for more transistors per core or a greater number of GPU and/or CPU cores (vs. M2s produced with larger transistors). What do the tech heads say?

 

[profcutter]

I say wait until you can’t wait anymore. After the M2 is the M3, etc. if your current hardware supports your needs, then keep using it. I finally buckled and got an M1 Max MBP, I would have preferred to wait even longer but 🤷‍♀️ I needed it now. My old
machine simply couldn’t cut it any more. If you need something now, then get it. If not, no one ever suffered by waiting a little longer.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Impossible question to answer. All I am asking is what would YOU do?

Looking to buy a M1 Max Studio (64GB/1TB)

I can buy one next week or wait for the rumored release of the M2 models.

There is lots of speculation that a new Studio could surface with the announcement of the new MacBook Pros in February or March. Only 2-3 months away.

Hopefully there won't be an increase in price for similar specs (outside of the silicon chip upgrade)

If you guys are expecting prices to increase perhaps it's better to save money and buy the M1 variant now.

If you need a computer now, then get it now. If you don't, then wait. Simple as.

 

[Fawkesguyy]

Fair point, but its not really how I conceive of "future proofing." It isn't to ensure that your computer will continue to have the "best" specs. To me it means that I might buy more than I need now to ensure it will do what I need it to 5+ years down the road. I think that is a thing that exists, while agreeing that by your definition, "future proofing" is indeed fiction.

Yep. Especially what I bolded (and underlined) from your post. What I purchased is total overkill for my needs, and will likely remain overkill until it is no longer supported.

 

[jz0309]

I bought a M1 Max 64GB 4TB from B&H yesterday, they gave me a slight (2%) discount and I applied for the pay boo card and am saving on taxes, together with a $100 discounted Studio mo nitro (height adjustable) I saved ~$650 over ordering from Apple, display here today, Mac tomorrow, really excited about this, will be replacing my 2017 27 iMac

 

[jz0309]

I applied for the PAYBOO card which will save me well over $100 in taxes but unfortunately, I am sitting here for what might be a lengthy wait to actually get the card in my hand which is why I haven't purchased from them yet. However, that's the retailer I'm looking to buy from.

I applied and purchased yesterday, put items in a shopping cart which will give you a unique # and then call them, they'll take that newly created card by calling the bank to get the # ...

 

[tis100]

Summary
-----------

If you really need a Mac Studio, I would get it now, especially if your workload is not GPU bound.

If you can wait until June, then wait.

Pricing
-------

I suspect the price of the M2 Mac Studio will be the same as the M1 Mac Studio because there isn't going to be a design refresh.

The Macbook Pro 13" was updated to the M2 processor this past June and it kept the same price as its predecessor.

However, the Macbook Air did increase in price because there was a design refresh.

Release Date
---------------

You mention speculation that the M2 Mac Studio may come out in February or March.

I believe it is more likely that the new Mac Studio comes out during WWDC in June, which is 6 months away.

Apple has said that their target for upgrades is around 18 months, but if the the new Mac Studio comes out in February/March, it will only be 11/12 months since the previous model came out, which is too short of a lifespan.

Also, if Apple releases all the M2 Pro/Max/Ultra models in February/March, what will they talk about during WWDC?

Performance
--------------

The performance of the M2 Mac Studio will be dependent on the fabrication node Apple has decided to go with on the M2 Pro/Max/Ultra processors.

If we take the Apple A processors as a reference for performance uplift between node generations, then we can apply that knowledge to make an educated guess at the expected performance uplift of Apple M processors between versions.

Processor	Node	Single Core (Geekbench)	Multi Core (Geekbench)	Metal (Geekbench)	Single Core (%Change)	Multi Core (%Change)	Metal (%Change)
A14	TSMC N5	1576	3877	9175
A15	TSMC N5P	1705	4662	14255	8%	20%	55%
A16	TSMC N4	1874	5382	15388	10%	15%	8%
				N5 to N4 (%Change)	19%	39%	68%

Processor	Node	Single Core (Geekbench)	Multi Core (Geekbench)	Metal (Geekbench)	Single Core (%Change)	Multi Core (%Change)	Metal (%Change)
M1	TSMC N5	1706	7420	20440
M2	TSMC N5P	8928	8928	30627	12%	20%	50%

The current M1 Max/Ultra processors used in the M1 Mac Studio are based on TSMC N5.

If the M2 Mac Studio is based on TSMC N5P like the Macbook Air and 13" Macbook Pro, then expect around 10% single core, 20% multi-core and 50% metal uplift from the current generation.

If the M2 Mac Studio is based on TSMC N4, then expect around 20% single core, 40% multi-core and 70% metal uplift from the current generation.

And if the M2 Mac Studio is based on TSMC N3, then expect around 30% single core, 60% multi-core and 133% metal uplift from the current generation.

I'm thinking the M2 Mac Studio will more likely be TSMC N4, but it is possible to be TSMC N3.

For me, jumping to N3 is too much of a performance leap, but if Apple does go with it -- wow!

It would mean that the M2 Max GPU would be about around the speed of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and the M2 Ultra GPU would be 32% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X in the 2019 Mac Pro.

Otherwise, if Apple uses TSMC N4, then the M2 Max GPU would be about the same speed as the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II and the M2 Ultra GPU would be around the same speed as the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X in the 2019 Mac Pro.