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Mac Studio (M5 Max) vs Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)

Mac Studio (M5 Max)1Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac Studio M5 Max against Mac Studio M2 Max
FigureMac Studio M5 Max1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Price£2,4993Apple UK store£2,0994launch price
ChipM5 MaxchipM2 Maxchip
CPU18-coreCPU12-coreCPU
GPU32-coreGPU30-coreGPU
Memory36GBunified memory, base32GBunified memory, base
Storage512GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Released22 September 20265ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 25 August 2026.13 June 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2023.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available6Security updates
Price
The Mac Studio M5 Max is £2,499 on Apple’s UK store; the Mac Studio M2 Max is £2,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

Mac Studio (M5 Max) · 197 × 95 mm frontMac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) · 197 × 95 mm front

Front faces, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Max1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Dimensions95 x 197 x 197 mm95 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight2.7 kg2.7 kg
ColoursSilverSilver
PortsFour Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports, two USB 3 (USB-A) ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI 2.1 port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M5 Max): two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II)Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M2 Max): two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II)
Thunderbolt ports744
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 5Thunderbolt 4
USB-A ports22
HDMIHDMI 2.1 portHDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Max1Mac Studio M2 Max2
ChipApple M5 Max chipApple M2 Max chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores1812
Super cores68Not available9
Performance cores1288
Efficiency coresNot available104
GPU cores3230
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM5 Max with 18-core CPU and 32-core GPU, or M5 Max with 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU8M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU11
Memory (base)36GB32GB
Memory (maximum)128GB896GB11
Memory options36GB; 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (40-core GPU)832GB, 64GB or 96GB (96GB with 38-core GPU)11
Memory bandwidth460 GB/s400 GB/s
Storage (base)512GB512GB
Storage (maximum)8TB88TB11
Storage options512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB8512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB11
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decodeHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode engines

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Max1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Maximum continuous power480 W370 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Max1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth65.3
Ethernet10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)
External displays (base)55

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Max1Mac Studio M2 Max2
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker12Built-in speaker13

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Max1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Shipped withNot available14macOS Ventura15
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate16macOS 27 Golden Gate16
Model identifierMac17,1417Mac14,1318
Model year2026192023

Sources

  1. Apple UK — Mac Studio Technical Specifications · Default for Mac Studio M5 Max · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac Studio M2 Max · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple UK store — Mac Studio M5 Max, 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB, 512GB — From £2,499 · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  7. Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac Studio M5 Max: Thunderbolt 5. Mac Studio M2 Max: Thunderbolt 4.

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  8. Apple UK — Mac Studio Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  9. Doesn’t apply: this chip has no super cores

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  10. Apple lists this chip’s cores as 6 super cores, 12 performance cores, with no efficiency cores

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  11. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  12. Apple UK — Mac Studio Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  15. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

Mac Studio M5 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory upgradeable by user, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has no entry for this Mac, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac Studio M2 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory upgradeable by user, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart lists the Mac Studio M2 Max only with a 38-core GPU, not the 30-core GPU this Mac has, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M5 Max? · Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M2 Max (2023)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.