ApplePoor

 My Intel  i7 Mac mini has 64GB of OWC ram and the 2TB SSD soldered in by Apple. I have seen over 40GB of the ram being used as cache during massive file transfers. Perhaps the SSD could be smaller, but memory size does impact server activity.

Since I have a M1 Ultra MacStudio (128GB ram and 8TB SSD) now, when Apple drops support for Intel processors and I retire it for MacOS security reasons, I would put the M1 MacStudio into the job and get the most recent MacStudio. Since we can not change either memory or SSD after the build, we use what we have. Apple is offering $1,580 as a trade-in value for my MacStudio. The M2 Pro mini with 32GB os ram and a 2TB SSD lists for $2,599 before adding Apple care and sales tax. The M3 Pro mini would be that or higher.

Apple crippled the M3 Pro chip so the most memory of 32GB for the M2 Pro is now just 36MB for the M3 Pro. I had hoped for 64GB of ram as the memory had doubled going to the M2 Pro generation from the M1 Pro generation.

If the future M3 or higher Mac Studio failed, I could fall back to the M1 Mac Studio. Remember that a component failure results in a completely new motherboard and a quick replacement could be problematic and its would be a used board.

Wonder if the price will be close to the prior generation like last time?

I may be tempted this time and take my M1 Ultra Mac Studio (128GB & 8TB SSD) and use it as my file server to replace the aging and soon to be unsupported Intel i7 powered Mac mini (64GB OWC Ram and 2 TB soldered SSD). The M1 Mac Studio trade in value is less than a possible M3 Pro mini with maximum memory and a 2 TB SD. and probably will be supported for quite a few more years.

I remember in the 70s that a 32kb memory card from Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) for my PDP-11 cost $2,000. Every generation that followed in the same form factor doubled the amount of memory for the same $2,000. The last one was 4MB. I used 1.5MB for programs and 2.5MB as a virtual swap disc for compiling Dibol code which was blazingly faster than any of the spinning platters of the day.

All these scores miss a very pertinent point: file transfer and storage. The 8TB SSD option is probably (for Apple inventory purposes) the same drive on the Mac Mini, both Pro laptop models, MacStudio and the Mac Pro. The MacPro should be having SSD raids with a bus designed to support high speed transfers of the TB sized video and data files. No raid array room in the MacStudio and laptops with current designs.

So the single core speed is very relevant for the daily mundane chores that are not multi-threaded. Maybe the M4 will improve from the M3 average of around 3000 to around 3450 or so. But there is probably a thermal barrier to how fast they can clock the processor and still have a useful service life.

The M series bought Apple some breathing room to get away from Intel. But they need a new series to keep downsizing and speeding up. One would think there is a finite barrier to this existing "M" technology.

We need a new extremely fast communication protocol to get stuff on and off the computer and fiber optic may be the way but the bus and storage devices have to be able to handle the data flow coming and going.

So give it up guys. Apple is making their own GPUs as part of a chip. They expended no effort to support graphic cards in the new M powered Mac Pro. They have said in big bold letters "we are building our own complete system so we do not have to worry about compatibility or support for third party products".

That basically means that all the comparisons to third party stuff is meaningless as none of it can be directly installed in Apple products and or run on MacOS. We have zero information on how third party stuff would work in the current Apple world equipment.

We have a very simple choice array now. Apple OS or Windows.

Once the Apple OS decision is made, then one can choose from consumer products (in Apple's world) of the iMac, low tier MacBook Airs and low end Mac mini. The middle tier is the upper models of the MacBook Airs and Mac mini and 14" M3 MacBook Pro. The pro world includes the M3 Max, Pro and Ultra trim lines with prices to match. 

The Geek Bench scores are one of the best known ways to compare the performances  to a score. However, some vendors have been known to build to make a great score.

Every flower will bloom and then fade away. Wondering if this is Apple's future?

With nothing but a cheap $79 pencil for the 4th quarter and back to school done,  there is not much to draw folks into the local Apple Store. The national numbers for over extended credit are not encouraging and the default percentage is increasing.

The Vision Pro at $3,500 will not be a huge seller so the M3 chipped devices need to arrive at the party early to keep Apple's hardware income stream healthy.