In addition to the new iPad Air and iPhone SE models, Apple announced a new desktop computer with M1 processors and a revamped display. The new M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips are the most powerful processors Apple has ever designed.
In the past, rumors circulated that Apple would use a linkage between two M1 chipsets for a more powerful version and that’s exactly what the company did. Apple called this link between two M1 Max chips, UltraFusion.
According to Apple’s explanation: “The most common way to increase device performance is to connect two chipsets on the motherboard. This requires making some compromises, including accepting increased latency, reduced bandwidth, and increased power consumption. However, UltraFusion uses an element that connects 10,000 signals The additional two chipsets allow a bandwidth of 2.5 terabytes per second with lower latency. This corresponds to 4X the bandwidth offered by the most widely used interconnection system today.”
This technology allows the M1 Ultra to be recognized by software as a single chip, so the existing software will not have to be redesigned for the new chip. The end result is a CPU that has 20 cores, 16 for high performance and 4 cores for energy efficiency. Apple says this new chip manages to be 90 percent faster than the Intel Core i9-12900K Alder Lake in multithreaded tasks.
As far as graphics are concerned, the new chip houses a GPU with 64 cores (eight times more than the M1). Apple says the new GPU is faster than the GeForce RTX 3090 while consuming 200 watts less than Nvidia graphics. Other features include a 32-core AI processor capable of processing 22 billion operations per second, support for up to 128GB of unified RAM and 800GB of communications bandwidth.
All of these processor technologies are included in the new Mac studios, which at first glance look like “chubby” versions of the Mac Mini. These machines are made from one square piece of aluminum that occupies an area of 19.7 x 19.7 cm. Mac Studio is 9.5 cm high.
Mac Studio is available in two versions, a higher version with the M1 Ultra chip and an entry-level version with the M1 Max which has only 10 cores (8 performance and 2 energy efficient) and a GPU with 24 cores.
When it comes to storage, new computers can have SSD drives of up to 8TB. Connections consist of 4 Thunderbolt 4 inputs, a 10Gbps wired connection, 2 USB Type-A inputs, an HDMI input, and a 3.5mm audio jack input. Wireless connections are Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.
These computers can be used with the new 27″ studio monitor with Retina 5K display. These monitors have 3 USB Type-C ports, a 12MP webcam, three microphones, and six speakers. The camera and audio system are controlled via the A13 Bionic chip just like the latest generation of iPhone.
In Portugal, prices for Mac Studios with the M1 chip start at €2,349 and for computers with the M1 Ultra chip from €4,649.
The new 27-inch studio monitors are priced at 1,799 euros.
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