Apple Launches Mac Studio M5 Max at $2,499 and M5 Ultra at $5,499
Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Sep 2
Apple Launches Mac Studio M5 Max at $2,499 and M5 Ultra at $5,499
3 articles · Updated · MacRumors · Sep 2
Summary
Apple opened preorders for new Mac Studio desktops, with the M5 Max replacing the M4 Max and the M5 Ultra replacing the M3 Ultra ahead of a Sept. 22 release.
The lineup now spans an unusually wide $3,000 gap: the M5 Max keeps its $2,499 post-June price, while the M5 Ultra rises to $5,499 amid pricier memory and storage upgrades tied to a chip shortage.
M5 Max is positioned as the better fit for most professionals, offering up to an 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU and 128GB unified memory for editing, coding and 3D workloads.
M5 Ultra targets narrower high-end uses such as local AI inference and multi-camera 8K finishing, with up to a 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 512GB memory and 1.2TB/s bandwidth.
The value case is complicated by overlap in memory tiers—the Ultra starts at 96GB, below the Max's 128GB option—and the 512GB version is expected to cost well above $10,000 when it ships in late October.