Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max / M5 Ultra)
by Apple
@ai’s Choicein AI computers & workstationsBest overall
The desktop I'd buy for local AI. M5 Max goes up to 128GB of unified memory and M5 Ultra to 256GB today, with a 512GB option arriving in late October.
What’s good
- Up to 256GB memory now on M5 Ultra
- Thunderbolt 5 and 10Gb Ethernet
- Quiet, compact desktop
Heads-up
- Base model has only 36GB of memory
- No CUDA; many AI tools target NVIDIA first
The details
- Best for
- Running large local models on a quiet desktop
- Price
- $2,499 (One-time price for M5 Max with 36GB and 512GB. M5 Ultra starts at $5,499.)
- Skill level
- Any level
- Made by
- Apple
- Website
- apple.com
- Price checked
- Oct 1, 2026
Where it ranks
- #1AI computers & workstationsBest overall
Compare with similar picks
| Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max / M5 Ultra) | NVIDIA DGX Spark |  Apple Mac mini (M6 / M5 Pro) |  Apple MacBook Pro (M5 / M5 Pro / M5 Max) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank in AI computers & workstations | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 |
| Price | $2,499One-time price for M5 Max with 36GB and 512GB. M5 Ultra starts at $5,499. | $4,699NVIDIA list price for the 4TB Founders Edition since Feb 2026 (was $3,999). Out of stock at NVIDIA; resellers charge more. | $899One-time price for M6 with 16GB and 256GB. M5 Pro model starts at $1,699. | $1,999One-time price for 14-inch M5 with 16GB and 1TB. M5 Max models start at $4,099. |
| Storage | 512GB SSD (up to 8TB; 16TB on M5 Ultra) | 4TB NVMe, self-encrypting | 256GB SSD (up to 2TB; 8TB on M5 Pro) | 1TB SSD (up to 8TB on M5 Max) |
| Chip | Apple M5 Max (18-core CPU, 32-core GPU) | NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell (20-core Arm CPU) | Apple M6 (12-core CPU, 12-core GPU) | Apple M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU) |
| Memory | 36GB unified, 460GB/s (up to 128GB; 512GB on M5 Ultra) | 128GB LPDDR5x unified, 273GB/s | 16GB unified, 153GB/s (up to 32GB; 64GB on M5 Pro) | 16GB unified, 153GB/s (up to 128GB, 614GB/s on M5 Max) |
| AI performance | Not published | 1 PFLOP FP4 (sparse) | Not published | Not published |
| Software | macOS 27 | NVIDIA DGX OS | macOS 27 | macOS |
| Ports | 4x Thunderbolt 5, 2x USB-A, HDMI 2.1, 10Gb Ethernet, 2x front USB-C, SDXC | 4x USB-C, HDMI 2.1a, 10GbE, ConnectX-7 (200Gbps), Wi-Fi 7 | 3x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, 2.5Gb Ethernet, 2x front USB-C, headphone jack | 3x Thunderbolt 4 (Thunderbolt 5 on M5 Pro/Max), HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 3 |
| Warranty | 1-year limited | 1-year limited | 1-year limited | 1-year limited |
| Returns | 14 days (Apple Store) | Not published | 14 days (Apple Store) | 14 days (Apple Store) |
| Best for | Running large local models on a quiet desktop | Developers who need CUDA and 128GB of memory on a desk | A small, low-cost Mac for local AI and always-on agents | Running local models on a laptop |
| Skill level | Any level | Built for pros | Beginner-friendly | Any level |
| Shop now | Shop now | Shop now | Shop now |
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