On August 25, 2026, Apple unveiled a new Mac Studio, once again offering two chip options: the M5 Max and the M5 Ultra. With up to 512 GB of RAM and 80 GPU cores, the M5 Ultra is the most powerful chip Apple has ever built into a Mac. Pre-orders are already open, with shipping set to begin on September 22, 2026; prices start at 2,999 euros for the M5 Max and 6,599 euros for the M5 Ultra.
For those who run large language models at home or edit 8K footage in DaVinci Resolve, this is more than just a spec update, as the detailed figures show.
In a nutshell:
- M5 Max: 18-core CPU, up to 40 GPU cores, 128 GB RAM, starting at 2,999 euros
- M5 Ultra: up to 36-core CPU, 80 GPU cores, 512 GB RAM, starting at 6,599 euros
- Neural Accelerators are now included in the Ultra chip for the first time
- New: Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, PCIe Gen 6 SSD
- Pre-orders are now open; launch on September 22, 2026; the 512 GB model will follow in October
Mac Studio M5 Max and M5 Ultra: Technical Specifications at a Glance
For the first time, Apple is incorporating two chips of the same generation into the Mac Studio. Previously, the device often combined a current-generation Max chip with a slightly older Ultra chip. This time, both are on equal footing.
| M5 Max | M5 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Cores | 18 (6 Super Cores + 12 Performance Cores) | up to 36 (12 Super + 24 Performance cores) |
| GPU cores | up to 40 | up to 80 |
| RAM | up to 128 GB | up to 512 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 614 GB/s | 1.2 TB/s |
| Neural Accelerators | Yes | Yes, for the first time also in the Ultra chip |
| SSD | PCIe Gen 6, up to 8 TB | PCIe Gen 6, up to 8 TB |
| Price (Germany) | Starting at €2,999 | starting at €6,599 |
According to Apple, the M5 Ultra continues to be built using UltraFusion technology, which connects two M5 Max dies with more than 4.4 TB/s of bandwidth. A new feature is the inclusion of Neural Accelerators directly within the Ultra chip’s GPU, which is particularly important for local AI computations.
How much faster is the M5 compared to its predecessor?
When it comes to CPU and GPU cores, the performance leap over the M4 Max and M3 Ultra is modest. The differences are significantly greater for AI tasks, because the new Neural Accelerators also contribute to the processing here. Apple states that the M5 Max offers up to 3.9 times faster processing of AI prompts and up to 50 percent higher GPU performance compared to the M4 Max. For the M5 Ultra compared to the M3 Ultra, the M5 Ultra delivers up to 4.3 times faster performance in text-to-image applications and about 1.3 times more multithreaded CPU performance.
For video editing, Apple cites a 3x speed boost for DaVinci Resolve’s Magic Mask feature; with the 3D rendering software Redshift, the M5 Ultra is said to run about 1.7 times faster than the M3 Ultra. Those who already use an M4 Max Mac Studio will likely notice little difference in everyday use. Those still using an M1 or M2, on the other hand, will clearly feel the difference.
Prices and Availability in Germany
| Model | Consumer | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Mac Studio M5 Max | €2,999 | €2,759 |
| Mac Studio M5 Ultra | €6,599 | €6,119 |
Pre-orders have been available since August 25, 2026, with shipments beginning September 22. Those who want the top-of-the-line configuration with 512 GB of RAM will have to wait until the end of October. As usual, the price can quickly rise with more RAM and storage: Fully equipped with a 16 TB SSD, the M5 Ultra costs over 20,000 euros—without a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. That makes it one of the most expensive Macs Apple has ever sold.
Ports, Design, and New Features
The compact enclosure remains unchanged, but the ports have been updated. The Mac Studio features up to six Thunderbolt 5 ports, each with 120 Gbit/s bandwidth, plus Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6—both making their debut in this device. Up to eight external displays can be connected, or alternatively, four Studio Display XDR monitors with 5K resolution and 120 Hz.
Of interest to video professionals: Via USB-C, the Mac Studio now supports Genlock for synchronizing multiple cameras, and according to Apple, the M5 Ultra can simultaneously process up to 33 streams in 8K ProRes 422 at 30 fps. Another new feature is a clustering function: Four Mac Studio systems can be linked via RDMA, delivering AI inference speeds roughly three times faster than a single device. This should be particularly appealing to small AI teams that want to run local models without having to invest in Nvidia servers right away.
Who will benefit from the Mac Studio M5?
Apple positions the device for musicians, photographers, software developers, 3D and motion designers, as well as filmmakers and AI researchers. Realistically speaking: The M5 Max is more than sufficient for most creative workflows, including larger video projects and multi-track music production. The M5 Ultra is really only necessary for those who regularly work with uncompressed 8K footage, render complex 3D scenes, or want to run larger AI models locally—tasks that would otherwise require renting a cloud GPU.
According to Apple, Xcode users benefit from shorter compile times, and with the new Core AI framework and the open-source MLX framework, Apple aims to encourage developers to train and run AI models directly on their own Macs rather than in the cloud.
macOS 27 “Golden Gate” and Other Software Updates
When it launches this fall, the Mac Studio will come with macOS 27, codenamed “Golden Gate.” The update brings more Apple Intelligence features to standard apps, a redesigned Liquid Glass design, and improvements to photo editing, Safari, and System Search. As usual, the update is free and available for compatible Mac models.
Analysis: Is it worth upgrading?
In terms of raw specs, the leap from the M4 Max and M3 Ultra to the M5 Max and M5 Ultra is moderate, but for AI workloads, it’s significantly greater thanks to the new Neural Accelerators. Whether it’s worth it for your specific use case depends heavily on what you’re actually doing with it. For anyone who already owns a current Mac Studio and mainly edits photos or cuts podcasts, an upgrade is hardly worth it. On the other hand, those who want to train local AI models, run large language models, or edit 8K raw footage in real time will actually get noticeably more performance here—even if the price increases accordingly.
It will also be interesting to see whether the new clustering feature proves its worth in practice. Linking four Mac Studio systems together sounds like an interesting alternative to expensive Nvidia workstations, though software support and actual performance still need to be demonstrated in independent tests.
Conclusion
The Mac Studio M5 Max and M5 Ultra deliver a real performance leap, especially for AI tasks, while the CPU and GPU see only moderate improvements compared to the previous generation. With up to 512 GB of RAM, 80 GPU cores, and new ports like Thunderbolt 5 and Wi-Fi 7, the Mac Studio remains the most powerful desktop option Apple currently offers—though at a price to match. For those who work productively with AI models, 8K video, or complex 3D projects, this is a tool that can be well worth the investment. For everyone else, the Mac mini or an existing Mac Studio will likely still suffice.
Sources: Apple Newsroom
