And it is powerful. Really powerful. So powerful that it’s actually hard to comprehend just how much performance Apple is getting out of its M1 line of chips. The M1 Ultra takes two M1 Max chips and connects them using what Apple calls UltraFusion architecture. OK, let’s begin with the specs:
5-nanometer process20 CPU cores (16 high-performance cores, 4 high-efficiency cores)Up to 64 GPU cores114 billion transistorsUp to 128GB of unified memory800 GB/s memory bandwidth2.5TB/s interprocessor bandwidth32 core neural engine capable of 22 trillion operations per secondBuilt-in Secure Enclave
OK, so those are the specs, but what does this mean? Well, in the absence of a hands-on with the hardware, we have to rely on the information that Apple made available. The M1 Ultra is 90% faster than Intel’s Core i9-12900K. The M1 Ultra is not just powerful, but also a lot more efficient, using 100W less power than the Intel Core i9-12900K chip. It’s not just CPU power that the M1 Ultra has. Its GPU performance is comparable to the highest-end discrete GPU (GeForce GTX 3090) but consumes 200W less power. Comparing chip to chip is one thing, but it’s more interesting to compare system to system, and here Apple is pitting the new M1 Ultra powered Mac Studio against a 16-core Xeon Mac Pro, and the Mac Studio comes in at 90% faster. Yes, 90% faster. But how does an M1 Ultra powered Mac Studio compare to the monster 28-core Xeon Mac Pro. The Mac Studio comes out at 60% faster. Unbelievable. Bottom line, the M1 Ultra is a beast of a chip, allowing Apple to blow away its Mac Pro.
