Compared to some of the other best Macs you can buy, the Mac Studio (2023) is ideal for video editing. Just like a MacBook, it has very good thermals, but it packs in a lot more power. More importantly, the Mac Studio has a really fast CPU and GPU. It has the power of the M2 Max and M2 Ultra Apple System on Chip under the hood. You can configure the M2 Max model with up to a 12-core CPU, and a 38-core GPU. Then, on the M2 Ultra model, you can configure it up to a 24-core CPU, and a 76-core GPU. But which of these models is good for video editing? That's what we're here to explain.
Which Mac Studio is the best for video editing?
Technically, any of these Mac Studio models is good for video editing. However, it depends on what type of editing you'll be doing. If you're just a casual video editor who is dealing with 4K or 1080p footage for a YouTube channel, the base model Mac Studio with M2 Max chip should be fine for you. The base model with a 12-core CPU, 38-core GPU, and 64GB unified memory is more than capable of encoding footage at 4K and 1080p. This is because Apple designs both the hardware and the chip, unlike on Windows desktops where the CPU and GPU come from different manufacturers. It is extremely well optimized for maximum performance, not to mention power efficiency. You get a lot of powerful components on one chip, rather than individual parts.
Those who might be into more serious video editing, perhaps for professional production like in the cinema or video production industry, or anyone who handles 8K content might want to consider the higher-end Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip and that 24-core CPU and 76-core GPU with 192GB of unified memory. Apple specially mentioned that this model can handle up to 22 streams of 8K Pro resolution video. The M2 Ultra also packs in the power of 192GB of unified memory, which you can't get on the standard M2 Max model.
For those wondering, here are some tidbits that Apple shared about the video editing performance of these systems.
- Compared to the 27-inch Intel-based iMac with a Radeon Pro 5700 XT, the Mac Studio M2 Ultra has 5 times faster 8K render performance in Final Cut Pro
- Compared to the 27-inch Intel-based iMac, the Mac Studio with M2 Max has 3.4 times faster 8K reader performance in Final Cut Pro
- The Mac Studio with M2 Max is 25% faster performance than the Mac Studio with the M1 Max when coding in Xcode, and 50% faster when rending in Adobe After Effects
- GPU performance is 30% faster and CPU performance is up to 20% faster in the M2 Ultra compared to the M1 Ultra
Again, it's hard to answer the question of which Mac Studio is best for your specific kind of video editing since it all depends on your needs. For basic video editing for vlogging, YouTube, and any video production that involves 4K and 1080p video editing, the M2 Max model will be great. But for anything beyond that, where you'll need to handle 8K footage, the higher-end M2 Ultra model will be better.
Apple Mac Studio (2023)
The 2023 Mac Studio with either M2 Max or M2 Ultra is Apple's second most powerful computer behind only the Mac Pro. Its smaller size and lower price makes it arguably a better option than the latter.