Apple Mac Studio teardown details upgradeable memory and the sheer size of the M1 Ultra SoC

Max Tech has offered insights into the Mac Studio, which Apple introduced last week. As the embedded video below shows, the YouTuber has disassembled Apple's latest mini-PC, which began shipping on Friday. While Apple sells M1 Max and M1 Ultra models, Max Tech decided to tear down the latter.

For some reason, Apple does not intend people to repair or maintain the Mac Studio, unlike older Mac hardware like Intel-based Mac minis. Instead, Apple prevents people from getting inside their Mac Studio by multiple layers of screws coupled with a silicone ring that must be removed. Only then can one access the power supply and logic board that houses the M1 Ultra.

Unsurprisingly, the M1 Ultra is a huge chip, with Apple having combined two M1 Max dies via its UltraFusion architecture. Max Tech has used the Ryzen 3 3300X as a comparison, although AMD's processor does not contain as many components as the M1 Ultra does. Sadly, Max Tech has not de-lidded the M1 Ultra to reveal its hidden treasures.

Arguably, the biggest surprise about the Mac Studio is its two M.2-style connectors, shown from 8:30 minutes into Max Tech's video. Used for Apple's proprietary SSDs. Theoretically, it would be possible to upgrade the Mac Studio's storage, but only if Apple ever sells replacement drives. Currently, no third parties sell compatible SSDs either. Still, it is encouraging to know that the Mac Studio could be repaired, should its SSDs fail at some stage. Also, a logic board failure should not result in a total storage loss, too.

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