Apple's Mac Studio just got updated with M5 Max chip. Unlike the Mac mini, there's a strong argument to get or keep the prior model instead.
After debuting in the MacBook Pro in March 2026, the M5 Max chip has made its way to Apple's top-of-the-line desktop, the Mac Studio.
Though the Mac Studio hasn't undergone any visual changes, the M5 Max introduces significant under-the-hood enhancements. With Neural Accelerators in each GPU core and new "super cores" in the CPU, the M5 Max Mac Studio delivers impressive performance.
As the M5 Max Mac Studio is now available for pre-order, it's time to compare it directly to its predecessor. That would, of course, be the Mac Studio with Apple's M4 Max chip.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Technical specifications
| Specifications | M5 Max Mac Studio | M4 Max Mac Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price (launch) | $2,499 | $1,999 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 7.7 x 7.7 x 3.7 | 7.7 x 7.7 x 3.7 |
| Weight (pounds) | 6.0 | 6.1 |
| Processor | Apple M5 Max 18-core CPU | Apple M4 Max 14-core CPU 16-core CPU |
| Graphics | 32-core GPU 40-core GPU Neural Accelerators | 32-core GPU (14-core CPU) 40-core GPU (16-core CPU) |
| Memory | 36GB (32-core GPU) 48GB (40-core GPU) 64GB (40-core GPU) 128GB (40-core GPU) | 36GB (14-core CPU) 48GB (16-core CPU) 64GB (16-core CPU) 128GB (16-core CPU) |
| Networking | Apple N1 wireless networking chip Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible Bluetooth 6 Thread networking technology 10 Gigabit Ethernet | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible Bluetooth 5.3 10 Gigabit Ethernet |
| Storage | 512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB | 512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB |
| Display support | Maximum of 5: Four displays at 6K 60Hz, plus one up to 5K at 60Hz via HDMI | Maximum of 5: Four displays at 6K 60Hz, plus one up to 4K at 60Hz via HDMI |
| Ports | HDMI Four Thunderbolt 5 Two USB-A Two USB 3 Type-C (front) 10Gig Ethernet SDXC (front) 3.5mm headphone jack | HDMI Four Thunderbolt 5 Two USB-A Two USB 3 Type-C (front) 10Gig Ethernet SDXC (front) 3.5mm headphone jack |
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Design
Design-wise, the Mac Studio hasn't really changed over the years. The M5 Max model is effectively indistinguishable from its predecessor, and both are identical to the original 2022 model.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Design-wise, the Mac Studio hasn't changed.
Apple has basically reused the same aluminum chassis for the M5 Max Mac Studio, with the entire unit still using a 7.7-inch by 7.7-inch footprint. The height is unchanged as well, at 3.7 inches.
The M4 Max and M5 Max models of the Mac Studio weigh almost the same, though the M4 Max variant is slightly heavier, coming in at 6.1 pounds. In essence, the Mac Studio is still a large block of aluminum, with vents and ports in all the same spots.
The front of the Mac Studio sports an SDXC card slot and two USB-C ports. Meanwhile, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and the headphone jack are on the back of the device.
Overall, there's no real difference between the M5 Max Mac Studio and its M4 Max counterpart when it comes to design. With either model, you'll get a giant Mac mini, with processing power more akin to the now-discontinued Mac Pro.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Performance
While the design of the Mac Studio hasn't been updated, its processing power has been improved.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Performance has been improved with the M5 Max model.
The Mac Studio with the M4 Max chip was offered in two varieties. The standard configuration offered a 14-core CPU, consisting of ten performance and four efficiency cores, along with a 32-core GPU.
The high-end M4 Max Mac Studio included a 16-core CPU, made up of 12 performance and four efficiency cores. It shipped with a 40-core GPU.
Memory bandwidth varied depending on the configuration in question. The lower-tier offered 410GB/s, while the high-end M4 Max variant had 546GB/s.
Support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing was available with all M4 Max variants. This makes the Mac Studio a great option for triple-A games with graphics-intensive lighting effects.
Both configurations also have Apple's Media Engine, which is used for hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding. It ensures compatibility with formats like H.264, HEVC, and ProRes video.
Apple's M5 Max, as expected, delivers significant hardware improvements. While the lower-tier M4 Max only offered a 14-core CPU, all variants of the M5 Max come with an 18-core CPU as standard.
Apple has also changed the terminology it uses for processor cores. The M5 Max offers 12 "performance cores" and six "super cores," which Apple says are the world's fastest CPU cores.
The improved performance cores in the M5 Max are optimized for power efficiency and multi-threaded workloads, per Apple's description. This ultimately allows for a 30% improvement in general processing performance, says the company.
As for the GPU, Apple has retained the same 32-core and 40-core options that were available with the M4 Max. Even so, Apple says graphics processing has been improved by 50% compared to the M4 Max.
Memory bandwidth is still determined by the hardware configuration, though. The lower-tier M5 Max Mac Studio offers 460GB/s, while the high-end M5 Max model delivers up to 614GB/s.
Additionally, the M5 Max offers a Neural Accelerator in each GPU core. Apple says that, coupled with the 16-core Neural Engine, this allows for four times the peak AI performance and LLM prompt processing, relative to the M4 Max.
Apple's website states that the M5 Max Mac Studio offers up to 3.9 times faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio, and up to 3.5x faster text-to-image performance, relative to its M4 Max counterpart.
These performance upgrades make the M5 Max a great option for AI-related and graphics-intensive workflows. In apps like Topaz Video, AI-powered video enhancement is 3.5 times faster, according to Apple.
The company also says that, in DaVinci Resolve, the M5 Max offers up to 3 times the performance of the M4 Max when rendering video effects. Magic Mask performance in DaVinci Resolve Studio is up to three times faster compared to the preceding M4 Max, Apple insists.
The company also claims that basecalling for DNA sequencing in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW is up to 1.9 times faster than on the M4 Max model.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Benchmarks
Geekbench 7 scores for the M4 Max and M5 Max offer additional insight into just how much Apple's top-of-the-line system-on-chip has improved. There's a noticeable increase in performance with the M5 Max.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Multi-core performance has improved, but it's not a drastic change.
In CPU performance testing, the M4 Max with a 14-core CPU achieved a multi-core score of 26,613 and a single-core score of 3,497. In Metal GPU testing, the M4 Max scored 207,293 points.
In place of an M5 Max Mac Studio benchmark, we used test results from the 16-inch MacBook Pro, since it is equipped with the same chip.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: The updated M5 Max chip received a higher single-core performance score, but it's not a particularly impressive jump.
The M5 Max CPU scored 33,387 points in multi-core testing, while single-core performance tests reached 3,569 points. As for Metal GPU testing, the M5 Max achieved 238,306 points.
Comparing the two chips reveals that the M5 Max achieved a 2.1% higher single-core CPU performance score and a 25.5% higher multi-core CPU performance score. The M5 Max Metal GPU performance score is also 15% higher.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: The Metal GPU performance score of Apple's M5 Max chip is 15% higher than that of the M4 Max.
The M5 Max Mac Studio clearly beats the preceding M4 Max model.
The general rule is for the user to see a speed increase, the delta must be about 15%, and that's about exactly what you need here.
The improved processing power is nice, but that doesn't make the M5 Max Mac Studio a must-buy if you've already got a M4 Max Mac Studio.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Storage, ports, audio
In terms of available storage options, there's no difference between the M5 Max Mac Studio and its M4 Max counterpart. A 512GB SSD is still the base storage option, with upgrades to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and even 8TB available.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Apple has retained all the ports Mac Studio users have come to rely on.
There's no change port-wise, either, with both the M5 Max and M4 Max Mac Studio offering two USB-C ports at the front, limited to 10GB/s. An SDXC card slot rated for UHS-II is also present.
On the back, both Mac Studio variants offer four Thunderbolt 5 ports with speeds up to 120 GB/s. RDMA (remote direct memory access) support with Thunderbolt 5 lets you cluster multiple Mac Studios, and this is possible with both Mac Studio variants.
With the M5 Max and M4 Max Mac Studio, you also get two USB 3 Type-A ports and a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, all on the back, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and an HDMI port.
Both Mac Studio models ship with a built-in speaker. It's also possible to listen to audio via AirPods, connected via Bluetooth, or to stream audio via AirPlay to a HomePod.
Overall, the Mac Studio has retained the same assortment of ports and storage options, but the M5 Max model adds two connectivity-related features.
Apple's N1 wireless networking chip introduces support for Wi-Fi 7 and Thread networking. Relative to the M4 Max model, the M5 Max Mac Studio supports faster Wi-Fi speeds. This will only be of use if you have a Wi-Fi 7-compatible router, and not everyone does.
Connectivity and performance improvements aside, there's one detail about the M5 Max Mac Studio that won't make users happy: its higher price.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Pricing
The standard configuration of the M4 Max Mac Studio, with a 14-core CPU, 36GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, was priced at $1,999, but has seen a price increase. The high-end model with a 16-core CPU and 48GB of RAM required paying $500 more.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Read and write speeds have been increased, but the same storage options are still available.
For even more RAM, users had to pay $200 for 64GB. Meanwhile, the 128GB RAM option was a rather pricey $1,000 upgrade, one that was eventually discontinued in May 2026 amid an ongoing memory supply crisis.
As for storage, the 512GB option was included in the $1,999 starting price of the M4 Max Mac Studio. For an extra $200 at the time of purchase, users could upgrade the storage to 1TB.
With $400 on top of that, you could get 2TB of storage, or 4TB for $600 again. The highest possible 8TB option is an extra $1200 on top of that.
In short, a new M4 Max Mac Studio could cost you anywhere from $1,999 to $5,899, depending on the processing hardware, RAM, and storage options selected.
These customization options are largely unchanged with the M5 Max Mac Studio, though you do still get improved performance over the preceding model. Still, this comes at a high cost, seeing as the $2,499 starting price of the M5 Max Mac Studio is $500 more than that of the preceding M4 Max variant.
The standard configuration of the M5 Max Mac Studio comes with an 18-core CPU, a 32-core GPU, 512GB of storage, and 36GB of RAM. For an extra $300, users can get the improved 40-core GPU model, with 48GB of RAM.
For even more RAM, users will need to spend an extra $400 for 64GB. Meanwhile, the 128GB RAM option will set you back an additional $2,000. That's double the cost of the 128GB RAM upgrade on the M4 Max Mac Studio.
In terms of storage, 512GB remains the starting capacity with all M5 Max variants of the Mac Studio. For an additional $300 at the time of purchase, users can upgrade their Mac Studio storage to 1TB.
With $500 on top of that, users can get 2TB of storage, or 4TB for $1,000 more. The highest possible 8TB option is an extra $2,000 on top of that.
Storage options are more expensive than with the M4 Max model, as the upgrade from 4TB to 8TB costs $800 more with the M5 Max Mac Studio. Even the 1TB option costs $100 more, so it's clear the industry-wide chip shortage has taken its toll.
The new-and-improved M5 Max Mac Studio will cost users anywhere from $2,499 for the base configuration, up to a steep $8,899 for the top-of-the-line model.
In the United States, though, the M5 Max Mac Studio models can also be leased via the Apple Upgrade program, starting at $48.99 per month for the base configuration.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: Which to buy?
The M5 Max Studio, much like its M4 Max counterpart, is a true powerhouse. The 15% improvement in CPU multicore performance is something you'll probably notice, albeit mainly if your workflow involves AI-related or graphics-intensive tasks.
M5 Max Mac Studio vs. M4 Max Mac Studio: The brand-new M5 Max model is the best option.
However, this alone is not enough of an improvement to justify upgrading from the M4 Max Mac Studio.
You still get the same assortment of ports in the same chassis with both models. However, the M5 Max Mac Studio will cost you at least $500 more for the base configuration, while the top-of-the-line $8,899 model has a price that is borderline unreasonable.
As such, the M5 Max Mac Studio really makes sense if you're in the market for a brand-new Mac with the best hardware money can buy. But if you can get an even better deal on the M4 Max, the older Mac Studio is still a strong contender.
Overall, the Mac Studio remains a niche product for most, still unnecessary for most consumers. You also still need to get a keyboard, mouse, and monitor for it, adding to the inconvenience over something like a MacBook Pro. Cooling on the Mac Studio versus the portable is obviously superior, though.
In short, if you truly need the processing power, get the M5 Max Mac Studio. Only get the preceding M4 Max variant if the price is right.
Where to buy Apple's Mac Studio
Apple's Mac Studio can be ordered now at B&H Photo and Adorama with prices starting at $2,499. Be sure to check out our M5 Max Mac Studio Price Guide for the best deals at Apple resellers.
There is limited M4 Max Mac Studio inventory still available as well, with B&H selling this 36GB RAM/1TB SSD configuration for $2,799. The latest pricing and availability across popular Apple resellers can be found in our M4 Max Mac Studio Price Guide.
