We compared the M5 Ultra Mac Studio 512GB with 4x DGX Spark and 4x AMD Ryzen AI Halo
The prices are relatively the same ($15-20k), but the trade-offs are noticeable
Compute (prompt processing speed)
- Mac: one chip, all the compute is always usable. Quick on normal prompts, will feel slower on long ones
- Sparks: boxes link over 200GbE, which is fast enough to combine their compute. Fastest of the three, and native FP4 speeds up quantized models even more
- Halos: boxes link over 10GbE, too slow to share work properly. Ends up close to the Mac but somewhat worse
Bandwidth (token generation speed)
- Mac: 512GB on a single bus, faster than a 4090, ~4x the tokens/sec of Spark or Halos
- Sparks: the model splits across boxes and tokens pass through them in sequence, so 4 boxes still generate at 1 box's speed
- Halos: same ceiling as Spark, same reason
Power
- Mac: less than a gaming PC, silent
- Sparks: nearly maxes out a wall circuit, will be hot
- Halos: about half the Sparks, but somewhat hot
The real gap is bandwidth. The Studio will feel noticeably faster. Spark 2 is rumored soon, but it won't matter unless the bandwidth goes way up. Same for AMD, plus better interconnect speeds
@YourAnonNews I see what he was doing…
He was implying to his opponents what to play against him just before he showed his own hand.
Every time he decided to throw Rock, his hand first looked like Paper.
@aave@ether_fi@KelpDAO@LayerZero_Core@Compound_xyz@arbitrum AAVE and others want to release frozen funds into DeFi United for recovery, while Arbitrum may prefer prioritizing them for local users or ecosystem incentives. The joint push with “others have confirmed commitments” feels like industry pressure on the Arbitrum DAO.
After discussions with several stakeholders, Aave service providers, @Ether_fi, @KelpDAO, @LayerZero_Core, @compound_xyz, and others have submitted a governance proposal to the @arbitrum DAO requesting the release of ETH frozen by the Arbitrum Security Council following the April 18 rsETH incident.
If released, the funds will be directed into DeFi United, a coordinated cross-protocol recovery effort aimed at restoring rsETH backing and remediating impairment of rsETH for users. This contribution would meaningfully advance the path to resolution as others confirm their commitments.
The proposal is open for review, and we welcome feedback from the Arbitrum community.
https://t.co/KwofmX2RYP
@StaniKulechov I still believe in DeFi, but depositors won't return until Kelp, LayerZero, AAVE & related L2s settle. AAVE took least responsibility yet suffered most — worth spending on reputation to rebuild trust.
@MarioNawfal The arrogant way Scholz was scrolling through his phone reminded me of that scene eight years ago when the German delegation at the United Nations laughed mockingly at Trump’s criticism of Germany’s energy policy.