Should I upgrade my Mac Studio (M2 Ultra, 2023)?
3 years old · Runs macOS 27 Golden Gate, the current macOS
Quick look
| Figure | Mac Studio M2 Ultra1 | Mac Studio M5 Ultra2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,1993launch price | £5,4994Apple UK store |
| Chip | M2 Ultrachip | M5 Ultrachip |
| CPU | 24-coreCPU | 30-coreCPU |
| GPU | 60-coreGPU | 64-coreGPU |
| Memory | 64GBunified memory, base | 96GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 1TBstorage, base | 1TBstorage, base |
| Released | 13 June 20235ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2023. | 22 September 20266ReleasedIn 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"). |
| Security updates | Not available7Security updates | Not available7Security updates |
Software support
- Security updates
- Not available7
- macOS
- macOS 27 Golden Gate, the current macOS
Mac Studio M2 Ultra and the Mac Studio M5 Ultra
The newest Ultra-tier Mac in this line that Apple still sells.
Specifications
Body
| Specification | Mac Studio M2 Ultra1 | Mac Studio M5 Ultra2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 95 x 197 x 197 mm | 95 x 197 x 197 mm |
| Weight | 3.6 kg | 3.6 kg |
| Colours | Silver | Silver |
| Ports | Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M2 Ultra): two Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS‑II) | Four 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) |
| Thunderbolt ports8 | 6 | 6 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 5 |
| USB-A ports | 2 | 2 |
| HDMI | HDMI port | HDMI 2.1 port |
| SD card slot | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
Chip and memory
| Specification | Mac Studio M2 Ultra1 | Mac Studio M5 Ultra2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M2 Ultra chip | Apple M5 Ultra chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 24 | 30 |
| Super cores | Not available9 | 1010 |
| Performance cores | 16 | 2010 |
| Efficiency cores | 8 | Not available11 |
| GPU cores | 60 | 64 |
| Neural Engine cores | 32 | 32 |
| Chip options | M2 Ultra with 24-core CPU and 60-core GPU, or M2 Ultra with 24-core CPU and 76-core GPU | M5 Ultra with 30-core CPU and 64-core GPU, or M5 Ultra with 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU |
| Memory (base) | 64GB | 96GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 192GB | 256GB10 |
| Memory options | 64GB, 128GB or 192GB | 96GB or 256GB10 |
| Memory bandwidth | 800 GB/s | 1,200 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 1TB | 1TB |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB | 16TB |
| Storage options | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB or 16TB |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWtwo video decode enginesfour video encode enginesfour ProRes encode and decode engines | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWtwo video decode enginesfour video encode enginesfour ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decode |
Battery and power
| Specification | Mac Studio M2 Ultra1 | Mac Studio M5 Ultra2 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum continuous power | 370 W | 480 W |
Connectivity
| Specification | Mac Studio M2 Ultra1 | Mac Studio M5 Ultra2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 6 |
| Ethernet | 10Gb 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) | 8 | 8 |
The rest of the range at the price
Macs from other lines with a price read from Apple’s UK store, released within a year of the Mac Studio M5 Ultra and priced within a quarter of its £5,499 at Apple’s UK price as read on 2 October 2026, nearest price first. Each links to its side-by-side table, with your Mac Studio M2 Ultra (2023) or, where that pair is not one this site indexes, with the Mac Studio M5 Ultra.
Trade-in and used prices
- CeX pays, grade A
- £2,320 cash / £2,682 voucher18Base configuration
- CeX sells, grade A
- £3,62518Base configuration
- The Mac Studio M5 Ultra new, less CeX’s cash
- £3,179£5,499 new at Apple’s UK price as read on 2 October 2026, less £2,320 cash CeX was offering on 3 November 2026 for a grade A Mac Studio M2 Ultra (2023) in its base configuration
More
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs ·
↩- ↩
Apple UK store — Mac Studio M5 Ultra, 30-core CPU, 64-core GPU, 96GB, 1TB — From £5,499 ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra ·
↩Apple publishes no date for the end of updates, and this site does not guess one.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac Studio M2 Ultra: Thunderbolt 4. Mac Studio M5 Ultra: Thunderbolt 5.
↩Doesn’t apply: this chip has no super cores
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple lists this chip’s cores as 10 super cores, 20 performance cores, with no efficiency cores
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model ·
↩CeX — Trade-in, Grade A, cash ·
↩
Not published by Apple
Mac Studio M2 Ultra. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory upgradeable by user, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (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.
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.
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