4 ms·

An M1 Ultra is $2000 incrementally over a M1 Max, so there is no price gap, even with the inflated prices 3090s actually go for today.

by Macha 5y ago

kllrnohj 5y ago
To be fair that $2000 also gets you +32GB RAM, +512GB storage, and +10 CPU cores. It's not just the GPU. Although yeah you can definitely fit a 3090-equipped PC into a $4k budget even with ebay pricing if pure GPU performance is all you really want.
- fivea 5y ago
  > To be fair that $2000 also gets you +32GB RAM, +512GB storage, and +10 CPU cores. Even though it's not an apples to apples comparison, keep in mind that a 1x32GB DIMM sells for less than 150$, and you can buy 1TB SSDs for less than 100$.
  - freemint 5y ago
    HBM2 is a tad more expensive, but yes.
    - kllrnohj 5y ago
      Apple doesn't use HBM2, so not really relevant
      - freemint 5y ago
        Correct my bad. GDDR6x is still more expensive then GDDR4 you get with Thread ripper.
        kllrnohj 5y ago
        Apple isn't using GDDR6X, either, nor does threadripper use GDDR4.
  - inkyoto 5y ago
    M1 Ultra is 64Gb extra, not 32. > keep in mind that a 1x32GB DIMM sells for less than 150$ Keep in mind that M1 Pro/Max/Ultra is LPDDR5 6400 (https://www.anandtech.com/show/17024/apple-m1-max-performance-review https://www.anandtech.com/show/17024/apple-m1-max-performanc...) connected by a 512 bit memory controller. Whereas is a kit of 2x 32 GB LPDDR5 4800 (I could not easily locate a quote for 1x 64Gb LPDDR5 4800 DIMM, leave alone 6400) retails for USD 548 (https://www.newegg.com/crucial-64gb-288-pin-ddr5-sdram/p/N82E16820156288 https://www.newegg.com/crucial-64gb-288-pin-ddr5-sdram/p/N82...). I could not locate a reliable source on the type of the SSD employed in M1 Pro/Max/Ultra, so I will refrain from remarking on the comparison.
    - jsjohnst 5y ago
      I remember a slide mentioning I think “up to 7.4gb/sec SSD read/write speed” or similar, which drastically reduces the pool of comparison SSDs. Intel Optane meets those specs, as do a few other brands I hadn’t heard of previously. In the later case, a 2TB version seemed to be $350-400. Take this for what it’s worth, but SSD is going to be more than $100 extra cost imho.
      - kllrnohj 5y ago
        That's pretty much the speed that Samsung advertises for the 980 Pro: https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/solid-state-drives/980-pro-pcie-4-0-nvme-ssd-1tb-mz-v8p1t0b-am/ https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/solid-st... And what WD advertises for the Black SN850: https://www.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-black-sn850-nvme-ssd#WDS200T1X0E https://www.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-b... And what Seagate advertises for the FireCuda 530: https://www.seagate.com/products/gaming-drives/pc-gaming/firecuda-530-ssd/# https://www.seagate.com/products/gaming-drives/pc-gaming/fir... And what Gigabyte advertises for the Gen4 7000s: https://www.gigabyte.com/Solid-State-Drive/AORUS-Gen4-7000s-SSD-1TB#kf https://www.gigabyte.com/Solid-State-Drive/AORUS-Gen4-7000s-... etc... They aren't $100 for 1TB, no, but a lot of them are around $150. Which would be a lot less than +$100 to go from 512GB to 1TB, too. It's $40 to go from the 500GB SN850 to the 1TB SN850, for example.
cpuguy83 5y ago
Wait, you can get a 3090?
- Macha 5y ago
  Yeah. They've been in stock for months here (though the retailers are charging the inflated prices too), e.g. https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/c/hardware-components/nvidia-gpus?refinementList%5Bfacets.Chipsatz.values%5D%5B0%5D=NVIDIA%C2%AE%20GeForce%20RTX%E2%84%A2%203090 https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/c/hardware-components/nv...
  - Forgeties79 5y ago
    I mean at that price…yeah it’s “in stock” but it sure as hell ain’t available
  - jsjohnst 5y ago
    All of those listed are WAY above MSRP! MSRP is $1,499 in the U.S. and £1,399 in the U.K.
    - Macha 5y ago
      The question was if they were available, not if they were available at MSRP (thanks downvoters, the comment even called out the price was inflated...). My understanding is that until recently in the US you basically had to buy from scalpers as the stocks had none at any price unless you stalked for restocks. They're overpriced for sure, and that's the only reason the M1U pricing looks equivalent rather than exorbitant
      - jsjohnst 5y ago
        > The question was if they were available, not if they were available at MSRP (thanks downvoters, the comment even called out the price was inflated...). I wasn’t a DVer, but they’ve always been available if you were willing to pay a scalper. The only thing that has changed is that more retailers find it appropriate to rip off their customers. It’s kinda like a liquor store I’ve done business with for years now wanting $3,800 for a bottle of 23yr PVW. MSRP is $299.99. Should the owner not be able to make extra profit on it, no, of course they should. But >12x MSRP is just predatory imho.

An M1 Ultra is $2000 incrementally over a M1 Max, so there is no price gap, even with the inflated prices 3090s actually go for today.

by Macha 5y ago

An M1 Ultra is $2000 incrementally over a M1 Max, so there is no price gap, even with the inflated prices 3090s actually go for today.

kllrnohj 5y ago

To be fair that $2000 also gets you +32GB RAM, +512GB storage, and +10 CPU cores. It's not just the GPU. Although yeah you can definitely fit a 3090-equipped PC into a $4k budget even with ebay pricing if pure GPU performance is all you really want.

fivea 5y ago
> To be fair that $2000 also gets you +32GB RAM, +512GB storage, and +10 CPU cores. Even though it's not an apples to apples comparison, keep in mind that a 1x32GB DIMM sells for less than 150$, and you can buy 1TB SSDs for less than 100$.
- freemint 5y ago
  HBM2 is a tad more expensive, but yes.
  - kllrnohj 5y ago
    Apple doesn't use HBM2, so not really relevant
    - freemint 5y ago
      Correct my bad. GDDR6x is still more expensive then GDDR4 you get with Thread ripper.
      - kllrnohj 5y ago
        Apple isn't using GDDR6X, either, nor does threadripper use GDDR4.
- inkyoto 5y ago
  M1 Ultra is 64Gb extra, not 32. > keep in mind that a 1x32GB DIMM sells for less than 150$ Keep in mind that M1 Pro/Max/Ultra is LPDDR5 6400 (https://www.anandtech.com/show/17024/apple-m1-max-performance-review https://www.anandtech.com/show/17024/apple-m1-max-performanc...) connected by a 512 bit memory controller. Whereas is a kit of 2x 32 GB LPDDR5 4800 (I could not easily locate a quote for 1x 64Gb LPDDR5 4800 DIMM, leave alone 6400) retails for USD 548 (https://www.newegg.com/crucial-64gb-288-pin-ddr5-sdram/p/N82E16820156288 https://www.newegg.com/crucial-64gb-288-pin-ddr5-sdram/p/N82...). I could not locate a reliable source on the type of the SSD employed in M1 Pro/Max/Ultra, so I will refrain from remarking on the comparison.
  - jsjohnst 5y ago
    I remember a slide mentioning I think “up to 7.4gb/sec SSD read/write speed” or similar, which drastically reduces the pool of comparison SSDs. Intel Optane meets those specs, as do a few other brands I hadn’t heard of previously. In the later case, a 2TB version seemed to be $350-400. Take this for what it’s worth, but SSD is going to be more than $100 extra cost imho.
    - kllrnohj 5y ago
      That's pretty much the speed that Samsung advertises for the 980 Pro: https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/solid-state-drives/980-pro-pcie-4-0-nvme-ssd-1tb-mz-v8p1t0b-am/ https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/solid-st... And what WD advertises for the Black SN850: https://www.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-black-sn850-nvme-ssd#WDS200T1X0E https://www.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-b... And what Seagate advertises for the FireCuda 530: https://www.seagate.com/products/gaming-drives/pc-gaming/firecuda-530-ssd/# https://www.seagate.com/products/gaming-drives/pc-gaming/fir... And what Gigabyte advertises for the Gen4 7000s: https://www.gigabyte.com/Solid-State-Drive/AORUS-Gen4-7000s-SSD-1TB#kf https://www.gigabyte.com/Solid-State-Drive/AORUS-Gen4-7000s-... etc... They aren't $100 for 1TB, no, but a lot of them are around $150. Which would be a lot less than +$100 to go from 512GB to 1TB, too. It's $40 to go from the 500GB SN850 to the 1TB SN850, for example.

cpuguy83 5y ago

Wait, you can get a 3090?

Macha 5y ago
Yeah. They've been in stock for months here (though the retailers are charging the inflated prices too), e.g. https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/c/hardware-components/nvidia-gpus?refinementList%5Bfacets.Chipsatz.values%5D%5B0%5D=NVIDIA%C2%AE%20GeForce%20RTX%E2%84%A2%203090 https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/c/hardware-components/nv...
- Forgeties79 5y ago
  I mean at that price…yeah it’s “in stock” but it sure as hell ain’t available
- jsjohnst 5y ago
  All of those listed are WAY above MSRP! MSRP is $1,499 in the U.S. and £1,399 in the U.K.
  - Macha 5y ago
    The question was if they were available, not if they were available at MSRP (thanks downvoters, the comment even called out the price was inflated...). My understanding is that until recently in the US you basically had to buy from scalpers as the stocks had none at any price unless you stalked for restocks. They're overpriced for sure, and that's the only reason the M1U pricing looks equivalent rather than exorbitant
    - jsjohnst 5y ago
      > The question was if they were available, not if they were available at MSRP (thanks downvoters, the comment even called out the price was inflated...). I wasn’t a DVer, but they’ve always been available if you were willing to pay a scalper. The only thing that has changed is that more retailers find it appropriate to rip off their customers. It’s kinda like a liquor store I’ve done business with for years now wanting $3,800 for a bottle of 23yr PVW. MSRP is $299.99. Should the owner not be able to make extra profit on it, no, of course they should. But >12x MSRP is just predatory imho.