Apple this week announced a new Mac Studio with the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, dropping the M4 Max and M3 Ultra models on sale since March 2025.
The design of the machine remains unchanged for a fifth consecutive year, with all improvements being internal. The table below details everything that’s changed, whether you choose a Max or Ultra chip. The two tables that follow detail the differences within each level.
What has changed in the two models
Here’s everything that’s different between the Mac Studio 2025 and 2026, regardless of configuration:
| Mac Studio (2025) | Mac Studio (2026) |
|---|---|
| Basic SSD read and write speeds | Next-generation SSD architecture based on PCIe Gen 6, with up to two times faster read and write speeds |
| Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) via the Apple-designed N1 chip |
| Bluetooth5.3 | Bluetooth6 |
| Genlock over USB-C |
With the latest model, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 come to the Mac Studio for the first time, facilitated by the same N1 chip that Apple introduced in the iPhone 17 lineup. Apple also says the new machine is made with 35% recycled content in total, including 100% recycled aluminum in the case and 100% recycled rare earth elements in all the magnets.
Mac Studio M4 Max vs. M5 Max
Here’s everything that differs between the M4 Max and M5 Max configurations:
| Mac Studio (M4 Max, 2025) | Mac Studio (M5 Max, 2026) |
|---|---|
| M4 Max chip | M5 Max chip |
| 14-core processor, configurable to 16 cores, with 12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores | 18-core processor with 6 super cores and 12 performance cores |
| 32-core GPU, configurable to 40 cores | 32-core GPU, configurable to 40 cores, with integrated neural accelerators in each core and enhanced shader cores |
| Second-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Third generation hardware accelerated ray tracing |
| Memory bandwidth up to 546 GB/s | Up to 614 GB/s memory bandwidth |
| 36 GB of unified memory with the 32-core GPU, or 64 GB with the 40-core GPU (128 GB option removed in May 2026) | 36 GB of unified memory with the 32-core GPU, or 48 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB with the 40-core GPU |
| Weighs 6.1 pounds (2.74 kg) | Weighs 6.0 pounds (2.7 kg) |
| Now abandoned | Starting at $2,499 |
The most immediately useful change is at the entry level. The M4 Max started with a 14-core CPU and can be configured up to 16 cores, while the M5 Max has an 18-core CPU as standard with no CPU upgrades to purchase. Apple also changed its core architecture, abandoning the performance and efficiency split in favor of 6 super cores and 12 performance cores.
Mac Studio M3 Ultra vs. M5 Ultra
The table below shows all the differences between the two Ultra configurations:
| Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025) | Mac Studio (M5 Ultra, 2026) |
|---|---|
| M3 Ultra chip | M5 Ultra chip |
| 28-core processor, configurable to 32 cores, with 24 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores | 30-core processor, configurable to 36 cores, with 12 super cores and 24 performance cores |
| 60-core GPU, configurable to 80 cores | 64-core GPU, configurable to 80 cores, with integrated neural accelerators in each core and enhanced shader cores |
| Ray tracing accelerated by first generation hardware | Third generation hardware accelerated ray tracing |
| Dynamic caching | Second generation dynamic caching |
| 819 GB/s memory bandwidth | 1.2 TB/s memory bandwidth |
| 96 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB unified memory (512 GB option removed in March 2026 and 256 GB option removed in May 2026) | 96 GB or 256 GB unified memory, or 512 GB with 80-core GPU |
| Now abandoned | Starting at $5,499 |
In both generations, the maximum GPU still contains 80 cores, the Neural Engine still contains 32 cores, display support and media engine are identical, storage still maxes out at 16TB, and maximum unified memory is still 512GB. Among the changes are 1.2TB/s of bandwidth powering this memory, 50% more than before, and neural accelerators for each GPU core. keys.
How big are the upgrades?
Apple’s own comparisons to outgoing chips are heavily focused on AI and graphics. For the M5 Max versus the M4 Max, Apple says:
- Until 3.9x faster Processing LLM prompts in LM Studio
- Until 3.5x faster text-to-image conversion performance
- Until 3x faster Magic Mask performance in Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio
- Until 1.9x faster basecalling for DNA sequencing in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW
- Until 50% faster graphics performance
For the M5 Ultra versus the M3 Ultra, Apple says:
- Until 4.3x faster text-to-image conversion performance
- Until 4x faster Processing LLM prompts in LM Studio
- Until 3.3x faster CopyCat ML training performance in Foundry Nuke
- Until 1.8x faster graphics performance
- Until 1.7x faster scene rendering performance in Maxon Redshift
- Until 1.3x higher multithreaded processor performance
On either chip, tasks using matrix multiplication can run three to four times faster thanks to new neural accelerators in each GPU core.
Which one to choose?
Apple no longer sells the M4 Max or M3 Ultra models, whose quality-price ratio had become relatively poor at the end of their production. The M4 Max costs $2,499 with a 14-core processor and up to 64GB of memory. For the same price, the M5 Max has an 18-core processor, 614 GB/s memory bandwidth, up to 128 GB of memory, twice as fast storage, and Wi-Fi 7. The M3 Ultra finished at $5,299 with a 96 GB memory limit. For $200 more, the M5 Ultra brings back the 256 GB and 512 GB options and adds 50% more memory bandwidth.
Current M4 Max and M3 Ultra owners generally don’t need to upgrade after just 17 months. Launch buyers paid $1,999 or $3,999, so replacing their machine now costs 25-38% more for the same design, ports, Ultra core limits, storage limit, and media engine. The main exception is jobs that require a lot of AI. Local LLMs, on-device image or video generation, and demanding machine learning tasks in applications such as DaVinci Resolve or Nuke can benefit significantly from new neural accelerators. The M5 Ultra’s 1.2 TB/s memory bandwidth can also improve large token generation.
The upgrade makes more sense for M1 or M2 Mac Studio owners. Apple claims that the M5 Max can process prompts up to 10.7 times faster than the M1 Max, while the M5 Ultra can train ML models up to 15.4 times faster than the M1 Ultra. Older models also lack Thunderbolt 5, AV1 decoding, and the new Media Engine. If you’ve already ignored the 2025 update, this is a more significant step forward.
The 2025 models are mostly worth considering as used or refurbished at a significant discount. Apple raised prices in June, so slightly discounted older stock is often too close to the price of a new model. A notable exception is an M3 Ultra with 256GB or 512GB of memory, as these configurations were unavailable for much of 2026 and M5 Ultra equivalents won’t ship until later this year.
When setting up, buyers should remember that memory and graphics are related. The M5 Max still has an 18-core CPU, so the key choices are GPU and memory. More than 36 GB of memory requires the 40-core GPU. With the M5 Ultra, 512GB of memory requires the 80-core GPU. If memory is your limitation, as is often the case for local AI tasks, you may also need to pay for more GPU cores. Apple says the 512GB M5 Ultra will arrive in late October, with pricing expected to start above $10,000.
The M5 Ultra is now Apple’s most premium Mac. Apple discontinued the Mac Pro in March, apparently with no plans for a replacement. There’s no high-end Mac to look forward to or an internal expansion path beyond adding a second machine.
Pre-orders are now open, with all but the 512GB model arriving on September 22. All M5 Ultra configurations now have a 10-12 week delivery time in the United States.
