Last year, Apple gave Mac Studio buyers a slightly strange choice between the newer M4 Max and the older-sounding but considerably more monstrous M3 Ultra. The generational identity crisis is over. The new Mac Studio offers M5 Max or M5 Ultra, so everything matches neatly—except perhaps the machine and your budget.
Mac Studio With M5 Max
The M5 Max model packs an 18-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in every core, and up to 128 GB of unified memory. Apple claims up to 3.9 times faster AI performance and a GPU that is up to 50 percent faster than the previous generation.
With 614 GB/s of memory bandwidth, it can run large language models locally, generate images and video, handle 3D work, and edit high-resolution footage without asking the cloud for assistance—or sending it your work.
Mac Studio With M5 Ultra
For professionals who consider M5 Max a little too reasonable, the M5 Ultra offers up to a 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 512 GB of unified memory, and 1.2 TB/s of memory bandwidth. It can also play up to 33 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video simultaneously, which should cover your needs unless you are editing surveillance footage for an entire small nation.
Both models include Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, faster storage, and support for up to eight displays. Multiple Mac Studio systems can even be clustered over Thunderbolt 5, in case one outrageously powerful silver box is not enough.
Pricing and availability
The new Mac Studio starts at US$2,499 with M5 Max and US$5,499 with M5 Ultra—US$500 and US$1,500 more than their respective predecessors’ original launch prices. To be fair, Apple had already raised the outgoing models to US$2,499 and US$5,299 mid-cycle. That means M5 Max holds the line, while M5 Ultra adds another US$200. Still, that does not make either price less ridiculous.
Preorders are open now, with availability beginning September 22, 2026. The 512 GB memory option arrives in late October, presumably after Apple finishes locating enough RAM.
Images: Apple.
