Apple Inc. on Monday introduced updated Mac Studio systems powered by the company’s latest M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, alongside refreshed pricing and leasing options. The new models expand the lineup with enhanced AI and graphics capabilities, positioning the systems for professional workloads in creative and technical fields.
The Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499, while the M5 Ultra configuration begins at $5,499. Education customers receive discounts of $200 and $400 respectively. Apple also introduced a 36-month upgrade leasing program, with monthly payments of $48.99 for the M5 Max and $110.10 for the M5 Ultra, excluding taxes. Pre-orders opened on August 25, with general availability set for September 22. A 512GB memory configuration is slated for late October.
The M5 Max features an 18-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, supporting up to 128GB of unified memory. The M5 Ultra offers configurations with up to a 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU, alongside support for up to 512GB of unified memory. Apple highlighted AI performance improvements of up to 3.9x for the M5 Max and 4.3x for the M5 Ultra compared with prior generations. Graphics performance for the M5 Ultra is cited as up to 1.8x faster than the previous model.
Storage performance has doubled through the adoption of PCIe Gen 6 architecture, and a cluster of four Mac Studio systems connected via Thunderbolt 5 and RDMA can deliver up to three times faster AI inference than a single unit. The systems support up to eight displays or four Studio Display XDR units at 5K resolution and 120Hz.
Apple stated the new Mac Studio models are built with 35% recycled content overall, and their enclosures are made from 100% recycled aluminum. The devices also integrate Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and macOS 27, which includes Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features.
