Apple unveils Mac Studio equipped with M5 Ultra processor, starting at $11,299
The new Mac Studio models feature M5 Ultra and M5 Max chips, offering up to 30% higher performance than the previous generation, but the top-end Ultra configuration carries a price tag of $11,299.
Apple announced updated Mac Studio desktops that retain the same compact aluminum enclosure while adding the M5 Ultra and M5 Max processors. The M5 Ultra variant is equipped with a 36-core CPU, an 80-core GPU and a 32-core neural engine, and can be configured with up to 256 GB of unified memory and 2 TB of storage. It is priced at $11,299, which is $3,800 more than the comparable M3 Ultra model.
The M5 Max version offers an 18-core CPU, a 40-core GPU and up to 128 GB of memory, with a top configuration costing $5,899. Both models retain the same port layout, including Thunderbolt 5 connections delivering up to 120 Gbps, HDMI 2.1, 10 Gb Ethernet and USB-A ports.
Benchmark testing showed the M5 Ultra achieving roughly 20-30% higher scores than the M3 Ultra across CPU, GPU and neural-engine metrics, and about 10% improvement over the M5 Max in synthetic AI tests. Real-world content-creation tasks demonstrated faster export times, with a nine-minute 4K timeline rendered in 1 minute 13 seconds, compared with over eight minutes on a MacBook M3 Pro.
Apple markets the Ultra model toward users who run large AI models locally, citing support for “frontier-class” models with billions of parameters when equipped with 512 GB of memory. The company also promotes the ability to cluster up to four Mac Studio units via Thunderbolt 5 for additional AI processing power, though the reviewer was not provided with hardware to verify the claim.
Gaming performance was noted as strong for a Mac, with Baldur’s Gate III running at 4K 60 fps on ultra settings, though the reviewer acknowledged that Windows PCs with dedicated GPUs may still lead in raw graphics performance.
"The Mac Studio M5 Ultra delivered the highest Geekbench AI neural-engine scores we have seen," the reviewer said.
Overall, the new Mac Studio offers a significant performance boost for professional workflows, but its premium pricing positions it for a niche segment of creators and AI researchers.