Updated: August 25, 2026
Quick Answer: The new Mac Studio starts at $2,499 in the United States with M5 Max, 36GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD. Mac Studio with M5 Ultra starts at $5,499 with 96GB of memory and a 1TB SSD.
Compared with the previous generation’s launch prices, the base Mac Studio is $500 more expensive, an increase of 25%. The Ultra model costs $1,500 more than the previous M3 Ultra starting configuration, an increase of 37.5%.
Pre-orders opened on August 25, 2026, and general availability begins September 22. Most professional buyers should choose M5 Max. M5 Ultra is primarily for users who need more than 128GB of unified memory, eight-display support or maximum performance for local AI, VFX, scientific computing and large video workflows.
Status: Officially announced by Apple. Prices, specifications, release dates and performance claims are based on Apple’s official announcement and technical specifications. Historical price comparisons use the U.S. launch prices of the previous M4 Max and M3 Ultra models.
New Mac Studio at a glance
- Pre-order date: August 25, 2026
- Release date: September 22, 2026
- M5 Max starting price: $2,499
- M5 Ultra starting price: $5,499
- Education prices: $2,299 and $5,099
- Starting memory: 36GB with M5 Max; 96GB with M5 Ultra
- Maximum memory: 128GB with M5 Max; 512GB with M5 Ultra
- Maximum storage: 8TB with M5 Max; 16TB with M5 Ultra
- Connectivity: Thunderbolt 5, HDMI 2.1, 10Gb Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6
- External displays: Up to five with M5 Max or eight with M5 Ultra
How much does the new Mac Studio cost?
The new Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499 in the United States. The entry configuration includes an 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD.
Mac Studio with M5 Ultra starts at $5,499. Its base configuration has a 30-core CPU, 64-core GPU, 96GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD.
| Model | U.S. price | Education price | Starting configuration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Studio M5 Max | $2,499 | $2,299 | 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB memory, 512GB SSD |
| Mac Studio M5 Ultra | $5,499 | $5,099 | 30-core CPU, 64-core GPU, 96GB memory, 1TB SSD |
Eligible U.S. buyers can pay approximately $208.25 per month for 12 months for the base M5 Max model or $458.25 per month for the M5 Ultra model through Apple Card Monthly Installments.
Apple Upgrade advertises lower monthly prices, but it is a lease rather than a standard purchase. The computer must normally be returned if the customer upgrades at the end of the lease.
These prices do not include a display, keyboard or mouse. Buyers building a complete workstation should include those accessories, external storage and AppleCare in their total budget.
How much more expensive is the new Mac Studio than the previous model?
The base Mac Studio is now $500 more expensive than the previous M4 Max model. That is a 25% increase from $1,999 to $2,499.
The M5 Ultra model starts at $5,499, compared with the previous M3 Ultra launch price of $3,999. That is a $1,500 increase, or 37.5%.
| Model tier | Previous launch price | 2026 price | Increase | Starting memory and storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M4 Max → M5 Max | $1,999 | $2,499 | +$500 / +25% | 36GB / 512GB for both generations |
| M3 Ultra → M5 Ultra | $3,999 | $5,499 | +$1,500 / +37.5% | 96GB / 1TB for both generations |
The higher prices are not caused by Apple increasing the starting memory or storage. Both tiers retain the same basic memory and SSD capacities as their direct predecessors.
The additional cost instead pays for newer processors, stronger AI and graphics performance, faster PCIe Gen 6 storage, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and other platform improvements.
For buyers, this means the value calculation depends heavily on workload. A professional who saves billable rendering or AI-processing time may recover the increase. An office user or light creator is unlikely to benefit enough to justify it.
When can you pre-order the new Mac Studio?
Apple opened pre-orders for Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra on August 25, 2026.
Customer deliveries, Apple Store availability and authorized-reseller sales begin on September 22, 2026.
The M5 Ultra configuration with 512GB of unified memory will not be available until late October. Customized memory and storage configurations may also receive later delivery estimates.
Check the delivery date shown for your exact configuration on Apple’s official Mac Studio ordering page.
What are the official Mac Studio M5 Max and M5 Ultra specifications?
M5 Max is the mainstream professional option. It starts with an 18-core CPU and 32-core GPU, while M5 Ultra combines substantially more compute resources with up to 512GB of unified memory.
| Specification | Mac Studio M5 Max | Mac Studio M5 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 18 cores: 6 super and 12 performance cores | 30 cores; configurable to 36 |
| GPU | 32 cores; configurable to 40 | 64 cores; configurable to 80 |
| Neural Engine | 16 cores | 32 cores |
| Memory bandwidth | 460GB/s; up to 614GB/s with the 40-core GPU | 1.2TB/s |
| Unified memory | 36GB; configurable to 48GB, 64GB or 128GB | 96GB; configurable to 256GB or 512GB |
| Storage | 512GB to 8TB SSD | 1TB to 16TB SSD |
| External displays | Up to five | Up to eight |
| Front connections | Two 10Gb/s USB-C ports and UHS-II SDXC | Two Thunderbolt 5 ports and UHS-II SDXC |
| Starting price | $2,499 | $5,499 |
Both chips include hardware-accelerated ray tracing, Neural Accelerators in the GPU and dedicated media engines for H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW and AV1 decode.
The enclosure remains 7.7 inches wide, 7.7 inches deep and 3.7 inches high. The M5 Max model weighs 6.0 pounds, while M5 Ultra weighs 8.0 pounds.
How much faster is the new Mac Studio?
Apple says the new Mac Studio delivers up to 4.3x faster AI performance, 2x faster storage, 1.8x faster graphics and 1.3x faster CPU performance, depending on the chip, comparison system and workload.
Apple’s M5 Max tests include:
- Up to 3.9x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio than M4 Max.
- Up to 3.5x faster text-to-image generation than M4 Max.
- Up to 3x faster Magic Mask processing in DaVinci Resolve Studio.
- Up to 1.4x faster Redshift scene rendering.
Apple’s M5 Ultra tests include:
- Up to 1.3x higher multithreaded CPU performance than M3 Ultra.
- Up to 4.3x faster AI compute performance than M3 Ultra.
- Up to 1.8x faster graphics than M3 Ultra.
- Up to 4x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio.
- Up to 1.7x faster Redshift rendering.
M5 Ultra can also play up to 33 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30fps, according to Apple’s testing.
These are Apple’s “up to” results from selected applications and configurations. They should not be interpreted as a guarantee that every task will run three or four times faster.
AI inference, image generation, VFX, 3D rendering and specialized scientific software should see the largest gains. General browsing, email and ordinary document work will feel much less different.
What ports does the new Mac Studio have?
Both versions provide four Thunderbolt 5 ports on the rear, with speeds up to 120Gb/s.
The rear connections include:
- Four Thunderbolt 5 ports
- Two USB-A ports at up to 5Gb/s
- One HDMI 2.1 port
- One 10Gb Ethernet port
- One 3.5mm headphone jack
- One power connection
The front-port configuration depends on the processor.
M5 Max has two USB-C ports supporting up to 10Gb/s and an UHS-II SDXC card slot. M5 Ultra upgrades those two front connections to full Thunderbolt 5, giving it six Thunderbolt 5 ports in total.
Wireless connectivity includes Apple’s N1 networking chip, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread.
For users with fast external SSD arrays, PCIe expansion systems or high-bandwidth capture equipment, the port selection is one of the strongest reasons to choose Mac Studio over a laptop or Mac mini.
How many displays can the new Mac Studio support?
Mac Studio with M5 Max supports up to five external displays.
One supported five-display arrangement includes four displays at up to 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz, plus a fifth display at up to 5K 60Hz through HDMI.
Mac Studio with M5 Ultra supports up to eight external displays. It can drive eight displays at up to 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz.
M5 Ultra can alternatively support up to four displays at 8K 60Hz, 5K 120Hz or 4K 240Hz.
M5 Max is sufficient for most editing, coding and audio workstations. The eight-display capability of M5 Ultra is primarily relevant to control rooms, financial workstations, production facilities and unusually large visual environments.
Should you buy Mac Studio with M5 Max or M5 Ultra?
M5 Max is the better choice for most buyers. It provides strong CPU, GPU and media performance without the $3,000 jump to M5 Ultra.
Choose M5 Max for software development, photography, music production, graphic design, 4K and 8K video editing, motion graphics and most professional 3D work.
Choose M5 Ultra only when your existing projects can measurably use its additional CPU and GPU cores, 1.2TB/s memory bandwidth or memory capacities above 128GB.
M5 Ultra makes the most sense for:
- Large local language models that cannot fit within 128GB
- Complex VFX simulations and high-end 3D rendering
- Large scientific or engineering datasets
- Professional multicamera and high-resolution video workflows
- Workstations requiring six Thunderbolt 5 ports
- Installations using more than five external displays
Buying M5 Ultra only for “future-proofing” is difficult to justify. The $3,000 difference is better spent elsewhere unless the additional resources solve a documented workflow limitation.
Which Mac Studio configuration should you buy?
The best configuration depends more on memory requirements than on marketing labels.
Best lower-cost professional configuration
M5 Max with 36GB of memory and a 512GB SSD is suitable for photography, music production, coding, graphic design and moderate video editing.
The 512GB SSD is limited for large media libraries, but fast Thunderbolt storage can be added later. Unified memory cannot.
Best configuration for most professional buyers
M5 Max with 64GB of memory and a 1TB SSD is the best-balanced choice for demanding development, larger photo libraries, 4K or 8K video production, multitasking and local AI experimentation.
It provides more working memory and practical internal storage without immediately moving into M5 Ultra pricing.
Best M5 Max configuration for local AI
Choose 128GB of unified memory if local models, virtual machines, large development environments or GPU-accelerated creative applications can use it.
The 128GB option requires the M5 Max configuration with the 40-core GPU. Compare its final price with the entry M5 Ultra before purchasing.
Best M5 Ultra configuration
The base M5 Ultra with 96GB of memory and 1TB storage is already an extreme workstation.
Upgrade to 256GB or 512GB only when you know the approximate memory footprint of your models, simulations or production projects. The 512GB memory option also requires the higher 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU configuration.
Should you upgrade the internal SSD or use external storage?
Most buyers should prioritize unified memory first and use Thunderbolt 5 storage for large media libraries, archives and completed projects.
Internal storage is convenient and benefits from Apple’s new PCIe Gen 6 architecture, which Apple says is up to twice as fast as the previous generation.
However, Apple’s larger SSD options can increase the final price substantially. A fast external Thunderbolt SSD or RAID system may offer more capacity per dollar and can be replaced independently.
Choose at least 1TB internally if you regularly work without external drives or keep large applications, caches and active project files on the computer.
Choose 512GB if budget matters and you already have a reliable external-storage workflow.
Is the new Mac Studio worth its higher price?
The new Mac Studio is worth the price increase when its performance directly reduces paid production time or makes a previously impractical workload possible.
M5 Max offers more CPU cores than the base M4 Max, significantly stronger AI acceleration, faster storage and updated wireless connectivity. M5 Ultra adds substantially more AI and graphics performance than M3 Ultra.
The value is less convincing for buyers whose work already runs smoothly on M4 Max or M3 Ultra. The starting memory and storage have not increased, so the higher price does not automatically provide more capacity.
Discounted remaining inventory of the previous generation may offer better value for users focused on conventional video editing, audio production, photography or software development rather than local AI.
Should current Mac Studio owners upgrade?
Most M4 Max and M3 Ultra owners should not upgrade immediately.
An upgrade is most defensible if your work benefits from GPU Neural Accelerators, PCIe Gen 6 storage, Wi-Fi 7, higher M5 Ultra memory bandwidth or a specific application highlighted in Apple’s performance tests.
M1 Max, M1 Ultra and Intel Mac users have a stronger reason to upgrade. They gain newer media engines, Thunderbolt 5, much faster graphics, stronger local-AI capabilities and modern wireless connectivity.
Independent benchmarks should still be reviewed before replacing a recent workstation. Apple’s launch figures are selected “up to” results rather than a complete representation of every professional application.
Should you pre-order the new Mac Studio?
Pre-order if you are replacing an older Mac, already know your memory requirements and need the computer for billable professional work shortly after September 22.
The M5 Max model is the safest pre-order choice because it covers most creative and development workflows at a much lower price than M5 Ultra.
Wait for independent testing if you already own M4 Max or M3 Ultra, or if your decision depends on sustained thermals, application-specific performance or real-world storage speeds.
M5 Ultra buyers should be especially cautious. A $5,499 starting price requires a clearly defined workload, not simply a preference for the highest specification.
Where do these Mac Studio facts come from?
- Apple Newsroom: Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra
- Apple Mac Studio technical specifications
- Apple Mac Studio product page
- Apple Mac Studio ordering page
- Apple’s previous-generation Mac Studio announcement
Frequently asked questions
How much is the new Mac Studio?
Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499 in the United States. Mac Studio with M5 Ultra starts at $5,499.
How much did the Mac Studio price increase?
The base price increased by $500, from $1,999 to $2,499. The Ultra starting price increased by $1,500, from $3,999 to $5,499.
When will the new Mac Studio be released?
Pre-orders opened on August 25, 2026. Deliveries and in-store availability begin September 22.
Is there an M6 Mac Studio?
No. Apple’s 2026 Mac Studio lineup uses M5 Max and M5 Ultra. The standard M6 chip is available in Mac mini, not Mac Studio.
How much memory does Mac Studio include?
M5 Max starts with 36GB and supports up to 128GB. M5 Ultra starts with 96GB and supports up to 512GB.
Can Mac Studio memory be upgraded later?
No. Unified memory is integrated into Apple silicon and must be selected when the Mac Studio is ordered.
Does every new Mac Studio have Thunderbolt 5?
Yes. Both models have four rear Thunderbolt 5 ports. M5 Ultra also has two Thunderbolt 5 ports on the front, while M5 Max has two 10Gb/s USB-C front ports.
How many monitors does the new Mac Studio support?
M5 Max supports up to five external displays. M5 Ultra supports up to eight, depending on resolution and refresh rate.
Does Mac Studio include a keyboard, mouse or display?
No. The box includes Mac Studio and its power cord. A display, keyboard and pointing device are sold separately.
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