M3 Ultra Mac Studio 256gb vs 512gb
yo question...or advice
Been using a Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB / 4TB / 28c / 60c for a few months now. Mainly video editing/color work in DaVinci, capture one, photoshop.. It's been awesome, never struggled with anything.
Somehow managed to get my hands on a 512GB / 2TB / 32c / 80c version. The unicorn machine that Apple seems to be phasing out due to ram shortages.. Still sealed in box.
Now I'm torn on which one to actually use as my main.
256GB / 4TB
-already set up, dialed in for my workflow
-4TB internal is huge, I'd actually use it
-I've literally never come close to using all 256GB
512GB / 2TB:
-Beefier chip (32c/80c vs 28c/60c)
-Wild amount of RAM if I get into local AI stuff
-It's basically a unicorn at this point
The AI thing is what keeps nagging at me. I've messed with LM Studio a bit on the 256 and it's cool to be able to use some of the models there... Most of my AI use is just Claude and ChatGPT anyway. But part of me wonders if I'd actually go deeper on local stuff if I had the headroom. I'm using Hermes on my old MacBook Pro and I know I can set it to talk to my Mac Studio via ssh.
The 2TB internal is what bugs me most honestly. I'd need an external for project files and I keep about 1TB of Dropbox synced.
For anyone who actually owns or has used the 80c version — is the chip difference noticeable doing video work day to day? Anyone using 512GB for AI and finding it actually worth it or is it more theoretical?
Just want some real perspective from people who use these machines.