This suggests the storage is upgradeable after all, despite Apple explicitly stating, “Note: Mac storage is not user accessible. If you think you need more storage capacity in the future, consider configuring to a higher capacity.” But there is one roadblock: finding the right SSD. Yuryev figured the Mac Studio had the same ports as the 2019 Mac Pro, but the SSD from Apple’s earlier system was too large to slot in.
Unlike the Studio, the current Mac Pro is user-upgradable via a DIY SSD installation kit. No such kit exists for the Mac Studio so far, and Apple hasn’t said anything about bringing one to market. It’s still possible that Apple releases DIY SSD kits for the Mac Studio somewhere down the road, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
If you’re itching to find a workaround, you might want to stomp on the brakes. Another YouTuber, Luke Miani, erased an SSD from one Mac Studio and tried to insert it into a different one as a way to upgrade the existing storage. Unfortunately, the second device wouldn’t accept the drive. While the PC recognized the newly installed storage, the system failed to boot, suggesting Apple is blocking upgrades with software.
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That’s a shame because Apple charges a fortune for storage upgrades. The Mac Studio starts at $2,000 when equipped with a 512GB SSD. Upgrading to 1TB costs another $200 and you’ll pay an extra $400 on top of that for 2TB of storage. The maxed-out 8TB model costs $2,400 more than the base one.
As for the other components, the Mac Studio uses unified memory and its M1-series SoCs combine the CPU and GPU, meaning storage is the only upgrade candidate. If you’re curious how the Mac Studio looks on the inside, or want to see a gigantic chip in the M1 Ultra, check out the full video above.
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