Skip to main content

Why the M1 Ultra version of the Mac Studio is so heavy

The M1 Ultra Mac Studio weighs 2 pounds more than the M1 Max Mac Studio, and that’s reportedly due entirely to the extra cooling. Eagle-eyed viewers of Apple’s first event of the year noticed that the two devices shared the same housing, but the M1 Ultra variant was a whopping 2 pounds heavier.

Some thought the discrepancy may be due to the overall size difference between the SoCs. The M1 Ultra, after all, is basically two M1 Max chips glued together.

Apple Mac Studio showing the ports on back and grill.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

However, in an email to The Verge, Apple confirmed that the weight discrepancy isn’t from the chipset, but in the material used for the heatsink. According to the email, they have the same 370-watt power supply, but the additional weight in the M1 Ultra is due to a “larger copper thermal module.” The M1 Max, on the other hand, uses a lighter aluminum heatsink.

Recommended Videos

Aluminum heatsinks are popular because they are lightweight and soak up heat moderately well. Copper is better at absorbing heat, but the material is notably heavier and more expensive. That more than explains the weight difference between the two. It even helps explain some of the cost differences between the two variants.

https://twitter.com/blackjack75/status/1501520159755931649?s=20&t=aqpT766QPU7FzqwRhqkZ6g

The Mac Studio — in some form or another — was one of the expected announcements from the Apple Peek Performance event. While rumors of the name and form factor didn’t appear until very recently, reporting on a “Mac Mini Pro” had been circulating for a while.

The Mac Studio comes paired with either an M1 Max or the new M1 Ultra chip. The Max variant can be configured up to 64GB of unified memory and an 8TB SSD, and it starts at $1,999. The M1 Ultra option can be configured up to 128GB of unified memory and 8TB SSD, and it starts at $3,999.

Apple also announced the new iPad Air, the new iPhone SE, as well as the new Studio Display. Apple isn’t quite finished with M1 yet, and they teased that an announcement for the Mac Pro is some time in the near future.

Caleb Clark
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Caleb Clark is a full-time writer that primarily covers consumer tech and gaming. He also writes frequently on Medium about…
Apple’s M4 MacBook Air combines power and portability for $999
M4 MacBook Air

Apple has just launched a new MacBook Air equipped with its M4 chip, bringing improved performance and efficiency to one of the company’s best MacBooks. The long-rumored update means that all of Apple’s laptops now come with the M4 chip.

As expected, the M4 MacBook Air is more of an evolution than a revolution. The M4 chip means a slight improvement in terms of performance compared to the previous M3 version, but there are few changes elsewhere. According to Apple, the M4 MacBook Air can perform tasks like video editing and photo editing up to 2x faster than its M1 counterpart -- so upgrading could be worth it for M1 owners.

Read more
Apple’s new Mac Studio breaks records in more ways than one
2025 Mac Studio

Apple has announced a new Mac Studio to add to the company’s range of high-end Macs. In a surprising twist, the new Mac Studio will come in two flavors, one containing the M4 Max and one containing a previously unreleased chip: The M3 Ultra. It's safe to say that this Mac Studio will break several records, all thanks to the staggering amounts of unified memory and storage that it's equipped with -- but also largely thanks to the eye-watering price.

The M3 Ultra is a new addition to the lineup. Apple says that it's built for AI and promises to deliver up to 2.5x the performance of the M1 Ultra, although there's no mention of how much faster it'll be than the M2 Ultra. M3 Ultra, and thus the Mac Studio, will offer support for up to 512GB of unified memory, which, as Apple says, is "the most ever in a personal computer."

Read more
Apple might launch a new Mac Studio, but there’s a surprising twist
Apple Mac Studio top down angled view showing side and rear.

Apple may soon release a new Mac Studio along with the new MacBook Airs, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on X. This could set it apart from the Mac Pro, which is expected to skip M3 Ultra and jump straight to M4 Ultra.

Gurman stated, “It’s not an ‘Air’ — but the new Mac Studio, codenamed J575, appears to be imminent. It could be announced as early as this week along with the new MacBook Airs. There are signs these will come with an M4 Max but that its new Ultra chip will actually be an M3 Ultra.”

Read more