Alongside the refreshed Mac mini, Apple has introduced a new Mac Studio, powered by two high-end chip options: the M5 Max and the M5 Ultra. The update targets professionals working with demanding workloads like 3D rendering, video effects, and large-scale AI models.
The M5 Ultra headlines the lineup as what Apple calls its “most powerful chip ever.” It’s built by fusing two dual-die M5 Max chips, making it Apple’s first quad-die chip. The result is a CPU with up to 36 cores and a GPU with up to 80 cores, backed by 1.2TB/s of unified memory bandwidth—50% more than the M3 Ultra released roughly a year and a half ago. Apple positions the M5 Ultra for compute-intensive professional work, though it’s also expected to appeal to hobbyist AI developers running large local models.
The M5 Max serves as the more accessible tier below the Ultra, built on Apple’s 2nm process and sharing the new CPU complex introduced with the M6 family. Apple says the chip’s architecture improves peak GPU compute for AI workloads by nearly 30% over the M5, speeding up on-device LLM prompt processing. Both chips support memory configurations up to 512GB, giving the Mac Studio significant headroom for large models and datasets.
Apple frames the new Mac Studio as a machine built for developers who want to run and fine-tune large AI models locally, reflecting the company’s broader push into on-device AI capability across its Mac lineup.
Apple Mac Studio Front Ports
The new Mac Studio is available to pre-order starting today, with deliveries and in-store availability beginning September 22, alongside the new Mac mini. Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499 and the Mac Studio with M5 Ultra starts at $5,499. Additional configure-to-order options are available at apple.com/mac-studio.
