Apple has announced a new Mac Studio powered by M5 Max and the all-new M5 Ultra, delivering the company’s most powerful Mac to date with major performance gains for on-device AI, graphics, video production, development, and other demanding professional workflows.
Available to pre-order from today, the new Mac Studio keeps the same compact desktop design while adding faster chips, upgraded wireless connectivity, Thunderbolt 5, and support for up to 512GB of unified memory.
Apple says the new Mac Studio delivers up to 4.3x faster AI performance, up to 1.8x faster graphics, up to 1.3x faster CPU performance, and up to 2x faster storage compared with the previous generation.
The M5 Max version features an 18-core CPU, an up-to-40-core GPU, Neural Accelerators built into each GPU core, and up to 128GB of unified memory. Apple says the chip is designed for users working with video editing, 3D graphics, music production, software development, local AI tools, and other pro apps.
For the most demanding users, the M5 Ultra model increases performance significantly with up to a 36-core CPU, up to an 80-core GPU, and up to 512GB of unified memory with 1.2TB/s of memory bandwidth. Apple says this allows users to run extremely large AI models entirely on-device, keeping data local while reducing reliance on cloud-based compute.
Apple is also highlighting the ability to connect multiple Mac Studio systems together using Thunderbolt 5 and RDMA support, allowing teams to cluster machines for larger AI workloads. According to Apple, a four-system Mac Studio cluster can deliver up to 3x faster AI inference than a single system.
Connectivity has been upgraded with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 coming to Mac Studio for the first time. The machine also includes up to six Thunderbolt 5 ports, faster PCIe Gen 6-based storage, support for high-performance external drives and expansion chassis, and the ability to drive up to eight displays, or up to four Studio Display XDR displays at full 5K resolution and 120Hz.
The new Mac Studio also supports genlock over USB-C, allowing precise synchronization between displays and professional camera capture, including with iPhone 17 Pro.
The desktop ships with macOS 27 Golden Gate, which includes Siri AI, Apple Intelligence improvements across everyday apps, AI-powered Shortcuts, Visual Intelligence, Safari improvements, Photos editing upgrades, and refinements to Liquid Glass.
Apple says the new Mac Studio is made with 35% recycled content overall, including 100% recycled aluminum in the enclosure and 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. The packaging is also 100% fiber-based.
The new Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499, or $2,299 for education customers. The Mac Studio with M5 Ultra starts at $5,499, or $5,099 for education customers.
Pre-orders are available now through Apple’s website and the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, including the United States. The new Mac Studio will begin arriving to customers and launching in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers from September 22, with the 512GB unified memory configuration arriving in late October.