Mac Studio Base Model (1 Year Later) 

I got the 64GB RAM base model back in May. I absolutely love it, for the fact that I don't notice my computer anymore, just my work, I rarely ever think about it, because I never hear it, almost don't see it because it is behind my monitors and it never slows down or crashes so it is completely seamless in my work day :)

I recently picked up a base model M1 Mac Studio… It cost me $1449.00 from Costco. Best thing I ever did.

I have a base Mac Studio as well. Purchased in April of 2022. It drives a 49" Ultra-Wide display @ 120hz beautifully. it replaced a 27", Intel iMac. I do not do video editing, but with the amount of headroom the M1 Max affords me, I may be able to keep this Mac Studio for 10 years as well. The only CON? It doesn't keep my office as warm in the winter.

I got an amazing deal on a used base model. $1500 including apple touchID keyboard and magic mouse - effectively $1300 for the base Mac Studio. How could you not upgrade at that price!

I've followed you over the past 6 months. I bought my mac studio max standard 6 weeks ago. Love it 😀 Absolutely no issues. Running the latest Cubase and the latest Davinci resolve. Running 4 screens side by side. 1 gig external drive. Absolutely Awesome.

I bought the Mac Studio M1 Max base model 32Gb/512Gb SSD; just a few weeks ago as refurbished from Apple. It has been awesome. I absolutely love it and it sears through my video writing tasks. I run two 27 inch screens, a video camera directly, plus a bank of SSD external drives. This wii do me for the next 10 years!

I bought the Ultra with 64gb of ram and 2tb internal. I love it. The internal storage is faster than anything I have external - being a colorist, I think that the internal drive if I could do over, I would get the larger storage - some projects for me still has footage that the speed of the drive when hooked external, is the weak link. But if I use a folder temp. on my internal - the read /write in Resolve is unbelievable. Speed like that is something you don't notice once you get used to it. But with a couple of projects I can tell which footage is on the internal and which is on the external - but both are really fast.

I use mine for light content creation currently and music production. ZERO regrets. Went base model as well

Great review! Glad to hear you are still enjoying your Mac studio! Your original video on the Mac Studio led me to purchase the base model when this was launched and I have zero regrets with this purchase. The value for this Mac was well worth the money. I mounted my Studio under my desk too!

I just picked up my second M1 Max Mac Studio but upgraded memory to 64gb and it was refurbished. Got it in two days after ordering it. Works fantastic! Cheers!

When they announced the Mac Studio I was working with an m1 Mac mini (16gb/256gb) and because of what I was doing with it, I had had to manage my ram usage a bit. The toughest call was 32gb vs 64gb because that upgrade was a significant cost. I ended up going with the 64gb and I don't regret it. It's more ram than I really need, but I no longer need to worry about ram usage (unless I'm being stupid). Minecraft can have 8gb, ghidra decompiling bedrock can have 12gb and there is still plenty left, so that I only have to worry about restarting chrome about once a week. Overall it's been a great machine, but it's not a machine everyone needs and the base model would suit most video/photo/audio production use cases.

My Mac Studio is the first PC I've been happy with since a 2009 Mac Pro. Like that machine, it's stable and can do everything I need.

Garrett - this was a HUGE help. I'm about to replace my "trash can" and I've watched so many videos comparing the mini to the Studio ... mini-M2 vs the Studio, tons of blah blah blah but really nothing more than hype and noise. You gave actual real-world input and related your experience. THis was exactly what I needed to finally make a decision that I'm comfortable with and not worried about it is going to be enough or did spend way more than I needed to ... Thanks dude!!!! Awesome video.

As a video editor, I've considered the M2 Pro Mac Mini, and this base model M1 Max Mac studio. I prefer the smaller footprint of the Mini, but the studio seems exceptionally powerful too. Thanks for the video and sharing your opinion :)

@6:18 we never keep client files on our storage system, and any important in house session are always stored external. , BUT the biggest difference in the m1 ultra us the port/ drive speed of the 2 front USB peripherals and the 4X video encoders

Just picked up a refurbished Mac Studio with 64GB and 2TB. I wouldn't have shelled out the money for that at full price but I'm loving the breathing room. Also, it's looking like there isn't going to be an M2 Studio. Most rumor sites are predicting that Apple is going to skip over that chip and release an M3 Studio next year. That should be interesting.

Interesting and thoughtful review. Despite a lot of head scratching last spring and thinking, “I’m probably buying too much computer”, I went with a Studio in base Ultra config (2TB SSD). This updated my 2015 27” Imac which, to your point, still works well and I fully expect my Studio to serve me for years to come. I will not be upgrading it anytime soon. In fact, I’m just in the middle of converting from my Drobo DAS to a Synology NAS, of which I’ll make use of its 10gb ethernet connection to the Studio. My dominant use with the system is currently photography. Really good video. Earned a sub here. Thanks.

This is one of the most enjoyable tech reviews i have ever watched. I am a tech nerd so i like speeds-n-feeds information and all that, but the way it comes across in most reviews makes my eyes glaze over. Somehow you manage to explain all the tech stuff in plain, straightforward language that nonetheless gets across the details that matter. Also, your speaking cadence is great, and you don't use a ton of jump cuts. Jump cuts are the WORST. Finally, i appreciated the part about "I'm not a fanboy, but come on; give credit where it is due", which is no joke with pretty much the entire Apple Silicon lineup. You have earned yourself a sub. Keep up the great work, my dude.

Agreement on all points. I use the Mac Studio with 64 GB and 1TB SSD, and I am more than satisfied. Even my MBPro Retina from 2013 draws more power when I'm just watching a video than the Studio with load. For the ports and RAM limitations alone, a Mac Mini M2 is out of the question for me.

EXCELLENT and very relevant assessment, even one year later. Thank you!

$1500 at my local Costco. This could mean a newer model is coming. You covered the points I needed to know. Coming from a 5 year old custom build PC this will be more than enough for my workflow. 4k 60fps video and DXO, photoshop, and Topaz.

My mac studio is great...never a fan noise and handles Blender cycles rendering like a GOD...I love it..

Yep, I have the M1 Pro MBP 14" and the iMac 2020 with the 5700xt, still insane even though these two are about over a year old now. I know these two will be with me for another..I would say five years, easily!

Thanks! You help confirm my impression that a base Mac Studio makes more sense for me than a decked-out Mac mini costing almost as much. Like you I'm impressed by the better cooling and additional ports.

Looking at used market is actually a really good idea, thanks. The Mac Pro isn’t pathetic, it just hasn’t been updated to the new architecture yet. And there are some industries and applications that still require intel processors and the flexibility that the Mac Pro provides.

I bought the M1 Max MacBook Pro with 4TB . Drives are roaring at 7Gbps. For my current workflow I keep current projects I'm working in the Internal Storage of the MBP and have it backed up in Dropbox, in case there is any malfunctions with the computer. After the project is finished I move the project to a 64TB RAID 5.

I too purchased the base Studio Max a year ago and am completely satisfied with it. I still have over 300GB of internal storage available because I have a 2TB NAS.

Great Vid, funny enough I just bought a used base model Mac Studio last week from that same eBay seller in your vid and I am very pleased with my purchase.

Great review and timely for me, as I am contemplating replacing my 2014 Mac mini. It just so happens that Costco currently has the Mac Studio Base model for……..wait for it……….$1499.99!!!! Gotta run,…before they’re sold out.

Great video Garrett! That's a cool jacket! Where can I buy one?

Great video, wondering what do you use the base M1 mac mini for?

Thank you, for an outstanding and detailed 1-year review of the base model M-1 "Mac Studio". I prefer the design, look, and feel of the smaller "mac mini". Because, it fits under my 2010 Apple 27-inch Cinema LED (none Thunderbolt) display but, I wanted to wait until it had a more powerful processor. So, if buying today, I would be getting a M-2 "mac mini" pro model. Perhaps a good future video would be with, you providing pro and con comments between Apple's new "mac mini" pro model and last years base model of the "Mac Studio" (smile...smile).

And then there is HVEC decoding. I'm out in the sticks and I use 4G LTE internet. I am an AT&T customer using two separate Netgear LBR-20 4G LTE Wi Fi routers. With my old 2014 Mac Mini Netflix movies used about 800 MB per hour. Now the same size movies take a little over 300 MB per hour. Same with Amazon and Hulu. The servers detect the advanced video codec and send me HVEC when available. I halved my Internet Usage rate.

Great video. Could you link the station you're using ? The fact that it has storage upgrade possibilities in it is so great I want it lol

Thanks for the details. I agree with waiting to see what the price drops may be when the MS Studios come out. For now my two M1 Minis are working fine

Amigo, muy objetivo tu video. se nota que eres productor audiovisual. Los videos que he visto son hechos por youtuber´s, pero no hechos por un realizador audiovisual. Gracias

My previous Mac was the trash can and it served me for 7 years. Unless what I am doing is drastically changed, my current Mac Studio will serve me fine for years.

Mac Studio M1Max 64gb is a beast. So fast 🚀 and reliable. Powers through 4K video like a champ. Can’t wait for the next Pro Display XDR 2 to come out.

My plan is to buy a new MacBook Pro and then keep it for 10 years. (I say this as I am on a 10-year old 2012 MacBook Pro). Computers should last 10 years, at least.

Great review ...thanks. i have the Mac studio ultra so i over bought. However, it is a total beast. My old Imac would balk at a dozen symphony instruments in logic. This studio keeps speeding along without a hiccup loading FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY INSTRUMENTS!!! It still didn't choke so i gave up the test. I love this beast.

I went all out and got the M1 Max Studio with 64gig and 32 gpu cores. I also used the slim expansion dock you reviewed. It's been rock solid, does everything I ever want (100 web tabs and FFXIV) like butter. Only issue is recently it decided that two displayport monitors were a no go (I have dual 1440p 32" LG's), with my OTC thunderbolt dual displayport adapter or individually. So I'm running on one Thunderbolt and one HDMI at 144hz on each. I figure after the next big patch I'll see if things start working again. I don't plan on upgrading ever, and when it's no longer supported I'll put linux on it.

My base model studio has been a dream for me as a small business owner who upgraded from the base m1 Mac mini due to lack of ports and not enough memory.

even if you have a. faster PC then a mac its the output quaility that matters and PC cant do what a mac can and the mac does do the jobs better

Thanks for the reassuring video. Your argument’s logic makes sense to me.

I have a M2 Macbook Pro 16" 12/38c . I can easily overwhelm the graphics. It really comes down to workflow. They just don't have ray-tracing hardware

Thanks! Great sound advice!

great video man, very honest and technical

After watching many RU-vid reviews and reading reviews I bought the base Mac Studio with the standard 32GB Ram / 512GB SSD. Have to say Im under whelmed when editing the files from my Canon R5 in Lightroom and Photoshop. I still get the beach ball and it doesnt seem that much faster than my high end 16” Intel MacBook Pro.

Each and every one of these things comes down to personal preferences. I am with you in that as long as the tools you are using do the job say with them. On the storage the only thing is I am a very cautious person. SSD wear leveling is an issue if you are going to have a device for a long period of time before you stop using it. I have used my Mac's until Apple no longer supports the latest macOS/UNIX on them. Thing is like you say in the production word work on external storage devices for you projects. I might have gone with 1TB of SSD internal storage.

Thanks for this video! I'm not sure if it was mentioned, but what is the companion SSD storage and port device you have connected to your Mac Studio? 😀👍

thanks for this video. just what i was looking for. i am decommissioning my 2015 27" imac 32GB RAM and ordering a M2max Mac Studio. question is: is 32GB RAM enough for editing (infrequently) RAW 4K, 6K video in FCP or Resolve? i know Resolve is more RAM intensive than the other NLEs. i could pause my order and try to get the 64GB RAM upgrade but wondering if its worth it. you mention you only run into issues with RAW 8K+. if one were to attempt RAW 8k, is it possible to crunch through the time line and get a single cam, 10 minute piece edited maybe 3 times a year, or is it just not possible? for the infrequent RAW 6K videos i do i am not concerned with long export times but would like ideally smoothest possible timeline scrubbing and effect renders. all this to basically ask: how much does RAM come into play on all this and if so, is 64GB what i should be looking at if i needed. thanks for any advice!

I bought the ultra base model refurbished for $400 off.

Hey Garrett, what's the external dock you're using for extra SSDs and ports?

Thanks for the very helpful video that focuses on practical performance issues and information. That's what counts and is what is most helpful to folks. I see you use older Dell monitors. Can you recommend a 5K display? The Apple Studio display seems to be overpriced and has other issues.

my M1 Mac Mini (16GB/2TB) feels much slower than it was, I blame Ventura, but often it feels even slower than my 7 years old desktop PC which isn't supposed to be faster at all

what app do you use to get all the cpu, fan, core etc stats?

Great vid. Love my Studio Max.

Great information and trusty knowledge! By the way can you provide the link with cal-outs which you were using in this video. Thank you.

Good video!

Managed to get an open box base model M1 Max Mac Studio for $1300 shipped 😁 I’m excited!

Great video and extremely informative..thank you.

Cheers, honest review.

excellent vidéo ! thks

Good 1 yrs Review I am waiting for the "Next Gen" when prices on these drop a bit more

What’s the model of the hub you have with the SSD in it?

hi, what is the Hub you are showing in 5:39? thanks

Soy de Colombia. Que monitor recomiendas?

Speaking as someone who has been on the Mac since there was a Mac, this model reeks to me of a One-Off. I'll put money on Apple neglecting this and not updating it, as they have virtually every Pro model they ever made. Having said that, and owning a MacBook Pro M1 Pro with 16gb of unified memory, if you do Pro work *get more RAM!* The Unified Memory is shared between the CPU and GPU and very quickly runs out when you do anything graphic intensive. Then it will switch to swap memory which really slows down the Mac and has me worrying about the life of my internal SSD.

@6:36 what is this drive? im interested in buying better storage. anyone who helps gets an instant follow/subscriber

what was that slim expansion hub you used for your original Min M1, is there a video made?

Very helpful video. Can you tell me what type of dual bay drive reader you were using?

Another way to look at it is Apple has started downgrading components in base model m-series Mac yearly. Penny pinching, rather than delivering the marketed performance increases.

The power supply in my 64gb base model went out after just 15 months 🙄

I do no think that what you are saying is true. Other that the watt/dollar thing the rest is bs. Here's my pc config: I7 12700K, 32GB DDR4, RTX 3700 and a WD Black M2 NVME SSD PCI-e 4 7GB/S. I ordered the Mac Studio base model with the 1TB ssd upgrade. It was slower that my pc...alot slower in rendering times. I returned it. I do not see the point of spending 2K $ on a computer slower than my "old" computer.

Hi, does anyone use Mac Studio M1 Max to edit video 4k footage? I'm filming a documentary for my student project. My budget is tight. I'm thinking to buy a certificated refurbished Mac Studio M1 Max 64 gb ram, 1 tb SSD; is it good enough to create a 45-minute film? Also, is Dell S2721QS 27 Inch 4K UHD the most budget monitor pairing well with Mac Studio M1 Max? Any advice will be much appreciated!

So many zooms....

I bitterly regret my purchase of a M2 Mac Studio. It died within 10 days. Beware.