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

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

Quick look

Quick look: Mac Studio M5 Ultra against Mac Studio M2 Max
FigureMac Studio M5 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Price£5,4993Apple UK store£2,0994launch price
ChipM5 UltrachipM2 Maxchip
CPU30-coreCPU12-coreCPU
GPU64-coreGPU30-coreGPU
Memory96GBunified memory, base32GBunified memory, base
Storage1TBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Released22 September 20265ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 25 August 2026. Apple says Mac Studio with 512GB of unified memory is coming in late October, and its UK store marks the M5 Ultra 512GB memory option the same way (store re-read 26 October 2026: "512GB memory option for M5 Ultra coming late October").13 June 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2023.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The Mac Studio M5 Ultra is £5,499 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 Ultra) · 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 Ultra) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Dimensions95 x 197 x 197 mm95 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight3.6 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 Ultra): two Thunderbolt 5 ports (up to 120Gb/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 ports864
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 Ultra) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
ChipApple M5 Ultra chipApple M2 Max chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores3012
Super cores109Not available10
Performance cores2098
Efficiency coresNot available114
GPU cores6430
Neural Engine cores3216
Chip optionsM5 Ultra with 30-core CPU and 64-core GPU, or M5 Ultra with 36-core CPU and 80-core GPUM2 Max with 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU12
Memory (base)96GB32GB
Memory (maximum)256GB996GB12
Memory options96GB or 256GB932GB, 64GB or 96GB (96GB with 38-core GPU)12
Memory bandwidth1,200 GB/s400 GB/s
Storage (base)1TB512GB
Storage (maximum)16TB8TB12
Storage options1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB or 16TB512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB12
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWtwo video decode enginesfour video encode enginesfour 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 Ultra) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Maximum continuous power480 W370 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Ultra) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Ultra1Mac 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)85

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Ultra) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker13Built-in speaker14

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Ultra) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMac Studio M5 Ultra1Mac Studio M2 Max2
Shipped withNot available15macOS Ventura16
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate17macOS 27 Golden Gate18
Model identifierMac17,1519Mac14,1320
Model year20262023

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac Studio M5 Ultra · Apple’s figure · read 30 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 Ultra, 30-core CPU, 64-core GPU, 96GB, 1TB — From £5,499 · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 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 3 Oct 2026

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 30 Sep 2026

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

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

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  9. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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  11. Apple lists this chip’s cores as 10 super cores, 20 performance cores, with no efficiency cores

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

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  13. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  15. 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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  16. 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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  17. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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

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Not published by Apple

Mac Studio M5 Ultra. 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 Ultra? · 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.