Apple has finally introduced a new Ultra chip, not yet for its recent M4 lineup but rather for the M3 family. The new Mac Studio is slated for launch on March 12, with configurations using both the M4 Max and the new M3 Ultra - however, the latter may only be a slightly stronger processor, at least in some ways.

As reported by 9to5Mac, an early Geekbench 6 benchmark of the new M3 Ultra chip suggests it may only be 8% faster than the M4 Max in multi-core performance while being 20% slower in single-core performance. The benchmark indicates that this is the top-end configuration of the upcoming M3 Max Mac Studio (it utilizes a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU).

It's important to note that the comparison made here is with the MacBook Pro's M4 Max, with its top-end configuration using a 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU. While we should wait for more benchmarks when the Mac Studio launches, it looks like the M3 Ultra's winnings over the powerful M4 chip could be present in its graphical processes, specifically gaming.

The high-end M4 Max model (using 1TB storage and 128GB of unified memory) is available for pre-order at $3,699.00 / £3,799.00 / AU$6,049.00, while the best M3 Ultra model (using 1TB storage and 96GB of unified memory) is available for pre-order at $5,499.00 / £5,699.00 / AU$9,249.00.

Based on the early benchmark (which should be taken with a grain of salt), the M3 Ultra may not be the ideal choice between the two chips for CPU processes (considering the supposed minor uplift and the significant gap in pricing), but should be right up the alley for gamers - and that may end up justifying its high cost.

これはこれまでで最高のMacゲーム体験かもしれません...

Appleの多くのMacデバイスは素晴らしいゲームパフォーマンスを提供してきましたが、M3 Ultra Mac Studioはおそらく最高のものになるでしょう。

80コアGPUはグラフィックス処理に専用された非常に高い性能であり（その価格も全く驚きません）、Cyberpunk 2077のような demanding なゲームも難なくこなすことができるはずです。CPUや統合メモリも重要ですが、GPUがゲームプレイヤーのために主要な役割を果たすと考えるのは安全です。

ゲーマーが強力なGPUを手に入れることは素晴らしいことですが、Macでのゲームにはまだやるべきことがあります。ゲームはしばしばMicrosoftのWindowsオペレーティングシステム向けに最適化されており、ゲームがMacデバイスに最初から登場するわけではありません。

タイトルの追加、例えばCyberpunk 2077のようなものは、Macのゲームライブラリの急速な成長の良い兆候であり、私はM3 UltraがAppleのゲームへの重点を示す新たな方法であることを願っています。