M2 Ultra Chip Benchmark Results Reveal Impressive Performance Gains

[MacRumors]

The first benchmark results for Apple's new M2 Ultra chip have surfaced on Geekbench 6, providing a closer look at CPU performance improvements. The high-end chip is available in the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro models launching next week.

There is currently some variance in the results, but the Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip appears to have single-core and multi-core scores of up to approximately 2,800 and 21,700, respectively. As expected, these scores confirm that the M2 Ultra chip offers up to 20% faster CPU performance compared to the M1 Ultra chip, as Apple advertised. This also means the M2 Ultra is now the fastest chip that Apple has ever released.

Geekbench 6 result for Mac Studio with M2 Ultra chip​

More interestingly, the scores reveal that the new Mac Pro should have around 2× faster overall CPU performance than the fastest Intel-based Mac Pro with a 28-core Xeon W processor. This feat is even more impressive given that the new Mac Pro starts at $6,999, while the 28-core Intel-based model started at $12,999, nearly double the price. During its WWDC keynote, Apple said the new Mac Pro is up to 3× faster than the Intel-based model, but that only applies to select "real-world pro workflows like video transcoding and 3D simulation."

The primary reason to consider the Mac Pro over the Mac Studio is for the desktop tower's six available PCIe expansion slots. Otherwise, customers should consider the Mac Studio, as it can be configured with the M2 Ultra for $3,000 less than the Mac Pro. For a more detailed comparison, read our Mac Studio vs. Mac Pro Buyer's Guide.

The new Mac Studio and Mac Pro are available to order now, and will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, June 13.

Article Link: M2 Ultra Chip Benchmark Results Reveal Impressive Performance Gains

 

[ghanwani]

I expected moar.

 

[Feek]

20% is not enough of a reason for me (as a casual user) to upgrade my M1 Mac Studio Ultra to an M2 Mac Studio Ultra but I can see why businesses may well consider if if they can complete tasks 20% faster. Time is money and it won't take long to recuperate the cost of upgrading.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

I want to hear the graphics results

 

[dantracht]

Think I might need to get my grubby mits on an m2 studio.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

20% is not enough of a reason for me (as a casual user) to upgrade my M1 Mac Studio Ultra to an M2 Mac Studio Ultra but I can see why businesses may well consider if if they can complete tasks 20% faster. Time is money and it won't take long to recuperate the cost of upgrading.

Also, people don’t usually upgrade every year

 

[Feek]

Also, people don’t usually upgrade every year

People often don't but if a company relies on driving these machines to the max then a 20% increase in performance may well be enough to pay for itself in time very quickly.

/edited for clarity

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Wow! That’s pretty impressive. Way ahead of the competition. 🐎

 

[crut]

I have an M2 Ultra Studio with 128Gb and 2Tb SSD arriving this week. But I’m going from a late 2019 16” MBP to the Studio so the performance bump should be insane.

 

[djcerla]

Go imagine M3.

BTW, no reasons why the Vision Pro must have a M2. It will come out in 2024 with M3, more power, better battery life.

 

[MayaUser]

they said they change the hardware for fusion..so its around 1.8x compared to M2 Max instead of 1.4x or 1.6x M1 max to M1 ultra

 

[falkon-engine]

Intel chips have come a far way since the old intel Mac Pro and the 13900k is faster than the m2 ultra . So is ryzen 7950x. Also, the x86 workstation class chips like sapphire rapids and Genoa blow the m2 ultra away in terms of multithreading. Of course apple leads in terms of performance per watt.

I think the m2 ultra is fine in the Mac Studio but the Mac Pro, with all the extra room, is underpowered. And it’s still using pcie4 with pcie switches and lane sharing, whereas sapphire rapids and Genoa use pcie 5 and have a ton of lanes available. Much more flexible and can access more RAM.

Faster x86 chips are coming: arrow lake, zen 5, granite rapids Xeons.

Unless apple creates a workstation class chip I think apple will lead in notebook perf per watt, but when it comes to workstation and desktop, x86 will pull ahead.

But regardless of all that, competition is great for consumers. And I am glad to see apple start to embrace gaming on the Macintosh. Maybe apple has some wild ambitions in terms of GPU performance and is now laying the groundwork to introduce high performance gaming hardware…

 

[MayaUser]

Go imagine M3.

BTW, no reasons why the Vision Pro must have a M2. It will come out in 2024 with M3, more power, better battery life.

M3 based on N3 for an niche product..that will sell so low....no need
Apple needs N3 based for the iphone primarily in late 2023 and early 2024 and then transition to the ipad and mac...and after that to vision pro probably for second gen

 

[HorstBockman]

The Mac Pro cooling system might be more capable than the Studio's. I wonder if the M2 Ultra will be clocked a bit higher in the MP.

 

[Killerbob]

I still don’t get why Apple did not differentiate the Mac Pro anymore from the Mac Studio. Using the identical CPU there isn’t much reason to spend the much more money. Sure you get PCIe expansion, but you can get that in a TB4 Sonnet expansion box at a quarter the cost. You can’t use the PCIe for graphics cards, and you are still limited on the RAM…

 

[Kalixt]

Wow! That’s pretty impressive. Way ahead of the competition. 🐎

Keep dreaming . https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

In terms of power consumption yes, but it is just thanks to TSMC more than apple.

 

[gallico916]

So we are comparing an M2 Ultra with Intel 28 Core unit from 2016, which seems unfair.
These days Intel and AMD have CPUs with 56 and 64 cores with access to 4TB of RAM.

The most significant benefit of the M processors is power consumption, but workstation has fewer restrictions and needs to deliver raw power.

I would love to see a comparison with the newer CPUs from AMD and Intel.

Apple is not even in the first 100 when it comes to raw power

PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End

PassMark Software - CPU Benchmarks - Over 1 million CPUs and 1,000 models benchmarked and compared in graph form, updated daily!

www.cpubenchmark.net

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Go imagine M3.

BTW, no reasons why the Vision Pro must have a M2. It will come out in 2024 with M3, more power, better battery life.

That seems very unlikely.
It is very rare that Apple announces something with one chip, and it ships with a different one, that’s not really their thing.
I wouldn’t even be surprised if we don’t get an M3 until after the headset launches.

 

[3166792]

I would love to see a comparison with the newer CPUs from AMD and Intel.

Compared to a recent result for the 13900KF

 

[rp2011]

The M series chips are impressive, and the Ultra's are overkill for most applications. Where the Ultra's have disappointed was in GPU performance vs a dedicated graphics card. But if Apple's claims hold true, the improved GPU performance on the M2 Ultra should take it into Nvidia territory and finally make it a viable option for 3D graphics work and rendering. Can't wait to see hands-on videos of it with Blender.

 

[klasma]

I want to hear the graphics results

Fan noise recordings?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I mean it was 4 years ago , that's kind of expected

what processor would be today's equivalent within intel/amd series , as of today? 12th or 13th gen, but which xeon specifically?

 

[Longplays]

I still don’t get why Apple did not differentiate the Mac Pro anymore from the Mac Studio. Using the identical CPU there isn’t much reason to spend the much more money. Sure you get PCIe expansion, but you can get that in a TB4 Sonnet expansion box at a quarter the cost. You can’t use the PCIe for graphics cards, and you are still limited on the RAM…

TB3 is cap'd at 40Gbps and latency.

 

[name99]

I still don’t get why Apple did not differentiate the Mac Pro anymore from the Mac Studio. Using the identical CPU there isn’t much reason to spend the much more money. Sure you get PCIe expansion, but you can get that in a TB4 Sonnet expansion box at a quarter the cost. You can’t use the PCIe for graphics cards, and you are still limited on the RAM…

Because this Mac Pro is very much a stopgap machine, a way to say "we have ended Intel, and we have a replacement for your old Intel Mac Pro" and nothing more.
It's not a more exciting machine because the SoCs for a more exciting machine aren't ready. And that's probably because Covid screwed up Apple and TSMC's timeline.

My guess is in eighteen months or so we will see an upgrade to some sort of M3 Ultra and Extreme options, but still same case. MAYBE PCIe5, maybe not. Then in maybe four years we'll see the really re-designed machine.

 

[BigJohno]

I have an M2 Ultra Studio with 128Gb and 2Tb SSD arriving this week. But I’m going from a late 2019 16” MBP to the Studio so the performance bump should be insane.

it will be mind blowing.