From Engadget · Steve Dent · · 3m
Mac Studio M5 Ultra review: Power at a premium price
Apple's most powerful desktop delivers incredible performance for AI and video work, but the $11,299 price tag is hard to justify over cheaper alternatives.
In brief
Apple's most powerful desktop delivers incredible performance for AI and video work, but the $11,299 price tag is hard to justify over cheaper alternatives. The M5 Ultra is genuinely powerful for AI and creative work, but only 20-30% faster than the M5 Max while costing nearly double, making it a tough sell for most…
Mac Studio M5 Ultra arrives
Apple's new Mac Studio with M5 Ultra processor starts at $5,500, up from $4,000 for the previous model. The jump is driven largely by soaring memory prices.
Design stays the same
The Mac Studio keeps its compact 3.7-inch tall aluminum body with no changes. It includes six Thunderbolt 5 ports delivering up to 120 Gbps speeds.
M5 Ultra specs explained
The M5 Ultra features up to 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and supports up to 512GB unified memory. That's 4 more CPU cores than before, with GPU and neural cores unchanged.
M5 Max is cheaper option
The M5 Max model tops out at 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU with 128GB memory for $5,899. It's just over half the price of the M5 Ultra.
Test machine costs $11,299
A fully configured M5 Ultra with 256GB RAM and 2TB storage reaches $11,299. That's $3,800 more than the equivalent M3 Ultra from the previous generation.
CPU performance crushes benchmarks
In Geekbench 7 multi-core tests, the M5 Ultra scored 52,185 versus 39,145 for the M3 Ultra. That's comparable to AMD's 64-core Ryzen Threadripper Pro.
Real-world video editing speed
Exporting a 9-minute 4K timeline with 8K footage took just 1 minute 13 seconds, compared to over 8 minutes on a MacBook M3 Pro. The machine also plays four 7K RAW tracks with color correction simultaneously.
AI transcription is blazingly fast
Using Mac Whisper, the M5 Ultra transcribed a 70-minute podcast in 18 seconds. That's less than a quarter the time the M4 Max needed for the same task.
Stack four for AI clustering
You can link up to four Mac Studio M5 Ultra machines via Thunderbolt 5 to process AI tasks three times faster than a single machine. That setup costs around $45,000.
Gaming performance is solid
Baldur's Gate III runs at 4K 60 fps on Ultra settings, averaging over 80 fps. However, Windows PCs with dedicated GPUs like NVIDIA's RTX 5090 will still outperform it.
Performance gains don't match price
The M5 Ultra is only 20-30% faster than the M5 Max across CPU, GPU, and neural engine tests. Yet it costs nearly double in most configurations.
M5 Max is better for most creators
For content creators, the M5 Max with 18-core CPU and 48GB memory at $3,099 offers much better value. The M5 Ultra only makes sense for AI developers with unlimited budgets.
The verdict: Power at a cost
The M5 Ultra is undeniably powerful for AI and video work, but the $11,299 price tag is out of touch for individual creators. It's really only for those who need maximum compute speed.
What to remember
The M5 Ultra is genuinely powerful for AI and creative work, but only 20-30% faster than the M5 Max while costing nearly double, making it a tough sell for most buyers.
