Apple announced the new Mac Studio featuring the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, designed for artificial intelligence workloads and pro tasks. The updated desktop computer provides up to 4.3 times faster AI compute performance compared to earlier models. In addition, the system integrates faster internal storage, improved graphics processing, and expanded memory capacity.
Architecture of the new Mac Studio
The desktop brings significant hardware changes to desktop computing in a compact chassis. Specifically, the unit supports up to 512GB of unified memory and 1.2TB/s of memory bandwidth on high-end configurations. This configuration allows data scientists and developers to process massive large language models locally without relying on cloud infrastructure.
“Mac Studio is the ultimate desktop for on-device AI and the world’s most demanding pro workflows, relied on by users for its tremendous performance and extensive pro connectivity, all in a quiet, compact design that sits right on your desk.”
Johny Srouji, Apple’s Chief Hardware Officer
M5 Max and M5 Ultra Performance
The base configuration includes the M5 Max chip, which carries an 18-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU. Each GPU core incorporates dedicated Neural Accelerators for faster matrix multiplication in artificial intelligence applications. Furthermore, this variant supports up to 128GB of unified memory with 614GB/s of memory bandwidth.
Meanwhile, the M5 Ultra variant scales the hardware to a 36-core CPU and up to an 80-core GPU. Users working in visual effects and video production can play up to 33 simultaneous streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 frames per second. The new Mac Studio includes third-generation hardware ray tracing for real-time 3D rendering in creative applications.
Next-Generation Connectivity and Clustering
For professional connectivity, the system incorporates Thunderbolt 5 ports capable of data transfer speeds up to 120Gb/s. Consequently, users can cluster up to four machines via Thunderbolt 5 and RDMA to achieve 3 times faster distributed AI inference. Wireless communication is handled by the Apple-designed N1 chip, introducing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
The updated computers support up to eight external displays or up to four Studio Display XDR units at 5K resolution and 120Hz. Genlock over USB-C is also supported for multi-camera production environments.
Pricing and Availability in Saudi Arabia
Customers can pre-order the new Mac Studio starting August 25, with retail availability beginning September 22. In Saudi Arabia, the M5 Max model starts at SAR 11,999, with an education price of SAR 10,999. In contrast, the M5 Ultra edition starts at SAR 25,999, while the 512GB memory version will ship in late October.
