Benchmark scores of Apple’s M2 Ultra indicate the new chip runs up to 20% faster than its predecessor, the M1 Ultra. And the comparison between the latest chip and the Intel processor in the 2019 Mac Pro proves even more dramatic.
You can configure the 2023 Mac Studio, which Apple unveiled during the WWDC23 keynote, with the M2 Ultra. And this bruiser of a chip is the only option you get when buying the new 2023 Mac Pro.
New Mac Pro is cheaper and faster than the 2019 model
In Geekbench 6 stats that surfaced online Saturday, the M2 Ultra scored 2,776 and 21,402 in single-core and multi-core benchmarks, respectively. For comparison, the M1 Ultra scores 2,379 and 17,579 in the same set of tests. This indicates Apple’s M2 Ultra packs a 20% faster CPU.
More impressively, the new processor scores make the 2023 Mac Pro twice as fast as the 2019 Intel-based Mac Pro. The latter features an Intel Xeon W-3275M CPU with 28-cores running at 2.5GHz. It scores 1,378 and 10,390 in Geekbench’s single and multi-core benchmarks.
Source: Geekbench
This CPU was priced at an additional $7,000 over the $6,000 base price of the Mac Pro, taking the total price to more than $13,000. In less than five years since the 2019 Mac Pro’s launch, the M2 Ultra-powered Mac Pro can provide double the performance while being 50% cheaper.
Mac Pro with M2 Ultra packs an even faster GPU
Since Geekbench is a CPU-based benchmark, its scores do not accurately represent the performance jump in other scenarios. On Apple silicon-optimized workflows, the Intel Mac Pro gets an even bigger boost. Apple claims the new Mac Pro is up to three times faster than the Intel-based model.
For example, the M2 Ultra can deliver the performance of seven Afterburner accelerator cards, which Apple created to speed up workflows for video pros working with gigantic ProRes and ProRes RAW files. A single Afterburner card added $2,000 to the price of an Intel Mac Pro. And the 2023 Mac Pro can achieve this while consuming significantly less power and generating less heat.
While the GPU benchmarks are not yet available, they should reveal an even bigger jump in the 2023 Mac Pro’s performance, since the M2 Ultra boasts significantly more GPU cores. And if you need even more power, you can configure the machine with a beefier 76-core GPU.
