Apple has refreshed the Mac Studio, and the headline for anyone working in video is straightforward: Apple says the top configuration can colour-grade uncompressed 8K footage in real time. The M5 Max model starts at $2,499 — unchanged from its predecessor, which given this year’s component price rises is worth noting on its own. Details are on the Apple Mac Studio page.
M5 Max: the sensible professional choice
The M5 Max configuration runs an 18-core CPU with up to a 40-core GPU carrying Neural Accelerators, up to 128GB of unified memory and up to 614GB/s of memory bandwidth. Apple claims it is up to 50% faster than the M4 Max Mac Studio it replaces.
That bandwidth figure is the one photographers and editors should pay attention to. For multi-layer Photoshop documents, large Lightroom catalogues and 4K or 6K timelines in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, memory bandwidth governs how responsive the machine feels as much as raw core count does. At 614GB/s this is comfortably beyond anything in the compact Windows machines we have been covering, where the fastest sit around 256GB/s.
128GB of unified memory is also genuinely useful rather than merely impressive — enough for heavy compositing, large local AI models, or simply not thinking about memory again for several years.
M5 Ultra, and what it signals
Above it sits the new M5 Ultra at $5,499 (£5,499), and it is an unusual piece of engineering: two dual-die M5 Max processors joined through UltraFusion, making it Apple’s first four-die M-series design. The maximum configuration reaches a 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 512GB of unified memory and 1.2TB/s of bandwidth, with GPU performance up to 40% above the M3 Ultra. It is also the first Ultra chip to include Neural Accelerators.
That is aimed at colourists, VFX artists and anyone training models locally rather than at photographers — but the real-time uncompressed 8K grading claim is the sort of capability that used to require a rack rather than a desk.
Worth knowing: the 512GB memory option does not arrive until late October, and the pricing at the top is eye-watering. Upgrading to 256GB costs $4,000, and a fully specified M5 Ultra Studio with 16TB of storage runs to $18,299.
Our take
The M5 Max Studio at an unchanged $2,499 is the interesting machine here. Apple has held the entry price while raising the Mac mini’s by $300, which makes the Studio comparatively better value than it was a week ago — particularly if you were considering a heavily specified mini.
For a working photographer or editor, the M5 Max offers memory bandwidth, GPU power and a memory ceiling that a compact machine cannot match, in a box that still fits under a monitor. The Ultra is for a narrower audience, and priced accordingly.
One caveat as ever with Apple: memory and storage are fixed at purchase, so specify carefully. There is no upgrade path afterwards at any price.
Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max): Specifications
Processor: Apple M5 Max, 18-core CPU.
Graphics: up to 40-core GPU with Neural Accelerators.
Memory: up to 128GB unified, up to 614GB/s bandwidth.
Performance: up to 50% faster than the M4 Max Mac Studio (Apple figure).
Also available: M5 Ultra — 36-core CPU, up to 80-core GPU, up to 512GB unified memory, 1.2TB/s bandwidth; two dual-die M5 Max processors joined via UltraFusion in Apple’s first four-die M-series design; up to 40% higher GPU performance than M3 Ultra; first Ultra chip with Neural Accelerators; capable of colour-grading uncompressed 8K footage in real time
Apple Mac Studio: Price and availability
The M5 Max Mac Studio starts at $2,499 (£2,499), with education pricing from $2,299 (£2,299) — unchanged from the previous generation. The M5 Ultra starts at $5,499 (£5,499). Pre-orders are open now, with both shipping from 22 September 2026; configurations with 512GB of unified memory follow in late October.
