Products · Apple · Desktop
Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra)
- Chips
- Apple M5 Max or Apple M5 Ultra
- Unified memory
- 36, 48, 64, 96, 128, 256 or 512 GB
- Launch price
- $2,499–$10,799
- Released
- 2026
Configurations
Pick one to see which models it runs. More memory lets larger models fit; bandwidth sets how fast they answer.
| Configuration | Memory | Usable for AI | Bandwidth | LLMs that run well | Launch price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple M5 Max · 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU | 36.0 GB | 24.1 GB | 460 GB/s | 462 of 622 | $2,499 |
| Apple M5 Max · 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU | 48.0 GB | 36.0 GB | 614 GB/s | 491 of 622 | $3,099 |
| Apple M5 Max · 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU | 64.0 GB | 48.0 GB | 614 GB/s | 504 of 622 | $3,499 |
| Apple M5 Ultra · 30-core CPU, 64-core GPU | 96.0 GB | 72.0 GB | 1,200 GB/s | 525 of 622 | $5,499 |
| Apple M5 Ultra · 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU | 96.0 GB | 72.0 GB | 1,200 GB/s | 525 of 622 | $6,799 |
| Apple M5 Max · 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU | 128 GB | 96.0 GB | 614 GB/s | 535 of 622 | $5,099 |
| Apple M5 Ultra · 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU | 256 GB | 192 GB | 1,200 GB/s | 577 of 622 | $10,799 |
| Apple M5 Ultra · 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU | 512 GB | 384 GB | 1,200 GB/s | 601 of 622 | — |
Specifications 256 GB configuration
| Maker | Apple |
|---|---|
| Type | Desktop |
| Chip | Apple M5 Ultra (256 GB) · 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU |
| Unified memory | 256 GB |
| Usable for AI models | 192 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 1,200 GB/s |
| FP16 compute | 37.7 TFLOPS |
| Notes | announced Aug 25 2026, available Sep 22 2026; 512GB ships late Oct 2026; M5 Max 32-core GPU = 460 GB/s |
| Product page | www.apple.com (opens in a new tab) |
Best LLMs for the Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) 256 GB
| Quality | Model | Quant | Memory | Speed | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93Excellent quality (A+) · 93 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 97/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B | Q8_0 | 148 GB | 44.7 tok/s | Runs great |
| 93Excellent quality (A+) · 93 of 100: how capable the model is at Q5_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 97/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Qwen3.8 Flash Next (125B-A6B) | Q5_K_M | 144 GB | 108 tok/s | Runs great |
| 92Excellent quality (A+) · 92 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 96/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Ornith 1.5 122B-A10B | Q8_0 | 149 GB | 51.8 tok/s | Runs great |
| 92Excellent quality (A+) · 92 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 96/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Qwen3.5 122B-A10B | Q8_0 | 149 GB | 51.8 tok/s | Runs great |
| 90Excellent quality (A+) · 90 of 100: how capable the model is at Q5_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 95/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Step 3.7 Flash (198B-A11B) | Q5_K_M | 159 GB | 71.4 tok/s | Runs great |
| 89Excellent quality (A+) · 89 of 100: how capable the model is at Q5_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 95/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Step 3.5 Flash (196B-A11B) | Q5_K_M | 158 GB | 71.4 tok/s | Runs great |
| 88Excellent quality (A+) · 88 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 94/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | MiniMax M2.7 (230B-A10B) | Q4_K_M | 158 GB | 88.9 tok/s | Runs great |
| 88Excellent quality (A+) · 88 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 94/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12B | Q8_0 | 147 GB | 44.7 tok/s | Runs great |
| 87Excellent quality (A+) · 87 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 94/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | MiniMax M2.5 (230B-A10B) | Q4_K_M | 158 GB | 88.9 tok/s | Runs great |
| 89Excellent quality (A+) · 89 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 94/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Inkling Small (276B-A12B) | Q4_K_M | 178 GB | 78.0 tok/s | Runs welltight fit |
Best Image models for the Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) 256 GB
| Quality | Model | Quant | Memory | Speed | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93Excellent quality (A+) · 93 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 89/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | MiniMax H3 Image | FP16 | 138 GB | 34 s | Runs well |
| 92Excellent quality (A+) · 92 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 84/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | FLUX.2 [dev] | FP16 | 116 GB | 2.1 min | Slow |
| 92Excellent quality (A+) · 92 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 83/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Krea 2 Turbo | FP16 | 37.4 GB | 15 s | Runs well |
| 84Great quality (A) · 84 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 82/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | FLUX.2 [klein] 9B | FP16 | 37.1 GB | 6.2 s | Runs great |
| 85Excellent quality (A+) · 85 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 80/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | ERNIE-Image Turbo | FP16 | 26.4 GB | 11 s | Runs great |
| 84Great quality (A) · 84 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 80/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Z-Image Turbo | FP16 | 22.7 GB | 8.6 s | Runs great |
Best Video models for the Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) 256 GB
| Quality | Model | Quant | Memory | Speed | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88Excellent quality (A+) · 88 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 85/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | LTX-2.5 (22B, video + audio) | FP16 | 82.5 GB | 5.2 min | Runs well |
| 90Excellent quality (A+) · 90 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 82/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | MiniMax H3 (33B, video + audio) | FP16 | 113 GB | 59.3 min | Very slow |
| 88Excellent quality (A+) · 88 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 81/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Cosmos3-Super Image2Video (64B) | FP16 | 139 GB | 2.1 h | Very slow |
| 86Excellent quality (A+) · 86 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 78/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | LTX-2.3 | FP16 | 75.4 GB | 22.8 min | Slow |
| 88Excellent quality (A+) · 88 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 76/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Kandinsky 6.0 Pro (29B, video + audio) | FP16 | 85.4 GB | 2.8 h | Very slow |
Best Decision models for the Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) 256 GB
| Quality | Model | Quant | Memory | Speed | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90Excellent quality (A+) · 90 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 95/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Qwen3 Reranker 4B | Q8_0 | 20.5 GB | 98 ms | Runs great |
| 88Excellent quality (A+) · 88 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 94/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | zerank-2 | Q8_0 | 20.5 GB | 98 ms | Runs great |
| 86Excellent quality (A+) · 86 of 100: how capable the model is at F16, whatever it runs on. Match score 93/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Jina Reranker v3.5 | F16 | 17.4 GB | 19 ms | Runs great |
| 86Excellent quality (A+) · 86 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 93/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Shieldstral 1.0 3B | Q8_0 | 20.3 GB | 94 ms | Runs great |
| 84Great quality (A) · 84 of 100: how capable the model is at F16, whatever it runs on. Match score 92/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Intern-Decision 4B | F16 | 25.1 GB | 69 ms | Runs great |
| 84Great quality (A) · 84 of 100: how capable the model is at F16, whatever it runs on. Match score 92/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Jina Reranker v3 | F16 | 17.4 GB | 19 ms | Runs great |
| 82Great quality (A) · 82 of 100: how capable the model is at F16, whatever it runs on. Match score 91/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | d1 3B | F16 | 22.2 GB | 49 ms | Runs great |
| 82Great quality (A) · 82 of 100: how capable the model is at F16, whatever it runs on. Match score 91/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | mxbai-rerank-large v2 | F16 | 19.1 GB | 43 ms | Runs great |
Spec sources
Estimates come from published hardware specs and our open formulas, not from running the model on your machine. Real speed varies with runtime, drivers and settings. Numbers marked “Measured” come from a linked benchmark.