Apple’s new Mac Studio, announced on August 25, 2026, went on sale September 22. In this series, we compare the top-tier M5 Ultra first with the M3 Ultra it replaces, then with M5 Max and Mac mini. Figures are identified as Apple claims or independent test results.
Chip architecture: M3 Ultra combined two M3 Max chips using UltraFusion, with 28–32 CPU cores and 60–80 GPU cores. According to Macworld, M5 Ultra uses a four-die arrangement made from two dual-die M5 Max chips: 30–36 CPU cores (12 super and 24 performance) and 64–80 GPU cores. GPU core count is similar, but each GPU core now includes a Neural Accelerator — the source of Apple’s claimed AI gains.
Apple’s claims versus M3 Ultra: 1.25× single-core CPU, 1.3× multi-core CPU, 1.8× graphics, 4.3× peak AI compute, 4× large-language-model prompt processing in LM Studio, 3.3× machine-learning training in Foundry Nuke and 1.7× 3D rendering in Redshift. Memory bandwidth rises from 819 GB/s to 1.2 TB/s, a calculated 46% increase.
Independent tests: A first Geekbench 7 result for the 36-core M5 Ultra, reported by MacRumors on September 15, scored 3,774 single-core and 52,516 multi-core — about 30% and 35% above M3 Ultra averages. In The Verge’s September 21 review of a 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU and 256 GB configuration, M5 Ultra was about 30% faster than a similar M3 Ultra in single- and multi-core tests, and 63% faster in Cinebench GPU rendering. Apple’s 1.8× graphics claim translated to a 63% gain in that test. AI claims have not yet been independently measured.
What stayed the same: Maximum memory remains 512 GB, maximum SSD 16 TB, Neural Engine 32 cores, and the case and port layout are unchanged. New features include PCIe Gen 6 SSD, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, genlock over USB-C and Thunderbolt 5 clustering for AI. Apple says four Mac Studios can deliver three times the inference speed of one. The 512 GB configuration is due at the end of October.
Price: M5 Ultra Mac Studio starts at $5,499 in the United States. M3 Ultra launched at $3,999 in March 2025 and rose to $5,299 in a June 2026 increase, making M5 Ultra $1,500 above its predecessor’s launch price. LOG reported a Türkiye starting price of 370,000 TL for M5 Ultra, compared with 275,000 TL for M3 Ultra in 2025. A top configuration with 256 GB memory and a 16 TB SSD is listed at 1.17 million TL. Apple attributes the increase to rising memory costs.
In short: Real gains are around 30% in CPU and 60% in GPU rendering. The biggest leap is in local AI, where only Apple’s claims are available so far. The next instalment compares M5 Ultra, M5 Max and the new Mac mini.
Verified: Core counts, bandwidth, Apple performance claims, U.S. prices and dates: Macworld, 9to5Mac and AppleInsider. Geekbench result: MacRumors. Verge review figures: AppleInsider compilation. Türkiye prices: LOG. Uncertainty: The Geekbench result is a single, unverified submission. AI speed claims are from Apple and have not been independently tested. The “about 50%” bandwidth increase is Apple’s wording; 819 to 1,200 GB/s calculates to 46%. Not available: Apple Türkiye’s current official price page was not directly reviewed; M3 Ultra’s average Geekbench 7 score was not available as a specific number.