Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB is now configurable in the United States, with pricing starting at $22,299, MacRumors reported on October 28, 2026. Apple had promised the option for late October, and MacRumors said it arrived right on schedule. The report gives no other new specification, price or design change for October 28.
The $22,299 figure is a starting price for one specific build, not a price for every Mac Studio with the M5 Ultra chip. It covers Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB, with 512GB of unified memory and 1TB of storage, according to 9to5Mac. Buyers who choose a lower M5 Ultra tier, or the M5 Max model, will see different prices and different memory limits.
That narrow scope is the story. Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB is a delayed configuration becoming orderable, with its price revealed, rather than a new chip launch.
The Short Version
- Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB became configurable on October 28, 2026, MacRumors reported. US pricing starts at $22,299.
- The 512GB option is limited to the top tier M5 Ultra chip, with a 36-core CPU and an 80-core GPU, 9to5Mac reported.
- The memory upgrade costs $15,500 over the 96GB base configuration of that top tier processor, according to 9to5Mac.
- A Mac Studio with M5 Max still tops out at 128GB of memory, MacRumors reported.
- With 16TB of storage, the same 512GB build reaches $29,799 in the US, 9to5Mac reported.
- Delivery is reported for late November to early December. No EUR price was stated.
Why the Memory Ceiling Matters
Unified memory is a single pool shared by the processor, graphics and neural processing parts of the chip, rather than separate system and graphics memory. A larger pool lets Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB keep more data close to those parts at once.
Apple said in August that the added memory and bandwidth let users store large datasets locally, increase tokens per second, and run large language models with hundreds of billions of parameters entirely on device. Those are Apple claims, not independent test results.
Apple also said four systems can be clustered with Thunderbolt 5 and RDMA, with up to 3 times faster AI inference than a single system. Meta highlighted a related use before the option shipped, saying Muse Spark Open could run on two Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB machines with MLX, MacRumors reported on October 15, 2026.
Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB: What Changed on October 28
Apple announced the Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra in August 2026, MacRumors reported on August 25, 2026. Most configurations were due on September 22, 2026, with the 512GB model listed for late October.
On October 28, MacRumors reported the option was configurable, and 9to5Mac reported the price after checking Apple’s configurator. Neither report describes a new chip, a redesign or a change to ports, storage or wireless hardware.
The change is availability and price for a configuration Apple had already announced in outline. Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB completes the August plan, rather than launching a second product. Apple’s August announcement described the M5 Ultra as two dual-die M5 Max chips joined with UltraFusion.
Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB Price and Configuration Limits
9to5Mac put the memory upgrade at $15,500 over the 96GB base configuration of the top tier processor. AppleInsider reported the base M5 Ultra at $5,499 with 96GB, a 30-core CPU, a 64-core GPU and 1TB of storage, plus a further $1,300 for the 36-core and 80-core version. Adding those figures gives $6,799 for the top tier with 96GB, and $22,299 for Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB, matching the starting price 9to5Mac reported.
Storage to 16TB takes the total to $29,799, 9to5Mac reported. AppleInsider put the step at $7,500, which checks: $22,299 plus $7,500 equals $29,799.
Three limits need emphasis. Only the top tier M5 Ultra takes 512GB. The sources checked do not list every intermediate memory step between 96GB and 512GB, or the price of each step, so buyers should check the configurator rather than assume a step exists at a given price.
No EUR price was stated in the sources checked, and this article gives none. The $22,299 figure is a US price for Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB.
How the Top Tier Compares With M5 Max
The comparison that matters for Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB is memory ceiling and price, not a benchmark duel. No benchmark for the 512GB configuration was in the sources checked, so this article declares no performance winner.
The gap is large on paper. Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB offers four times the M5 Max memory ceiling, from 128GB to 512GB. The starting price gap is $3,000, at $5,499 against $2,499, before the upgrade.
MacRumors also reported Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 in August.
What Apple Claimed in August, and What Is Still Untested
Apple claimed up to 1.25 times higher single-threaded and up to 1.3 times higher multithreaded performance than the M3 Ultra, MacRumors reported. Apple also claimed up to 40% faster graphics and up to 4.5 times the peak GPU compute for AI tasks than the M3 Ultra. Each figure is a manufacturer claim, untested in the sources checked for the 512GB build.
No independent lab review or hands-on test of the 512GB configuration was cited in the October 28 reports. Speed and real model loading times for Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB remain unverified in the sources checked.
PetaTech24 did not test the machine, and this article does not present Apple’s claims as measured results. Apple’s figures compare the M5 Ultra with the M3 Ultra, the previous generation, not with the M5 Max in the same test.
Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB: Who Should Order, and Who Should Not
The buying answer is conditional, and it starts with memory. If a named workload needs more than 128GB of unified memory on one machine, the M5 Max cannot meet it, and Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB is the only Mac Studio route in the sources checked.
- Order Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB if a named workload needs more than 128GB in one machine, and your software can use that pool.
- Order if you plan to cluster Mac Studio systems for distributed AI inference, accepting Apple’s cluster claim as untested.
- Order if the $22,299 US starting price and reported delivery window fit a professional budget, with display costs counted separately.
- Wait if your work fits in 128GB, or you have not measured how much unified memory your workload uses.
- Wait if you need a firm EUR, UK, India or Bangladesh price, because none was stated.
- Wait if you want independent test results for the 512GB build before spending five figures.
For most buyers, waiting for independent testing is safer. For a small group with a measured memory need, the wait is over.
Confirmed, Reported and Unknown
Confirmed in the sources checked: the 512GB option became configurable on October 28, 2026, at $22,299 for the top tier with 1TB, and the M5 Max ceiling remains 128GB. Reported: the $15,500 upgrade, the $29,799 total with 16TB and the delivery window, from 9to5Mac.
Unknown for Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB: intermediate memory steps and prices, the EUR price, non-US availability and pricing, and any independent performance result. The October 28 report is short, and this article does not fill its gaps with assumption.
Quick Answers
Who can order Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB?
Anyone who can use Apple’s US configurator can configure Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB, at a starting price of $22,299 in the US. The option is limited to the top tier chip. Delivery is reported for late November to early December.
How much does the 512GB Mac Studio cost in the US?
It starts at $22,299 with 1TB of storage. The memory upgrade is $15,500 over the 96GB top tier base. With 16TB of storage, the total reaches $29,799.
Can a Mac Studio with M5 Max use 512GB?
No. The M5 Max model still tops out at 128GB, MacRumors reported.
Is there a EUR price for the 512GB configuration?
No EUR price was stated. Do not convert the US price into a European price.
Has the 512GB build been independently tested?
No independent test of Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB was in the sources checked. PetaTech24 did not test it. Apple’s August performance figures remain manufacturer claims until independent testing appears.
Final Word
Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512GB closes a promised gap. The configuration is orderable, the price is known, and the limit is clear: top tier only, $22,299 to start in the US.
The memory ceiling is real, and independent evidence is not yet in the sources checked. Order on a measured need, and check the configurator before ordering.
Sources / Attribution
- MacRumors, Joe Rossignol, Mac Studio With M5 Ultra Now Available With 512GB RAM for $22,299, October 28, 2026, 10:26 a.m. PDT.
- 9to5Mac, Apple reveals pricing for Mac Studio with 512GB of RAM, October 28, 2026. Configurator check, upgrade cost, storage total and delivery window.
- AppleInsider, William Gallagher and Mike Wuerthele, Mac Studio M5 Ultra with 512GB RAM now available for pre-order, October 28, 2026. Base price, top tier step, storage step and December 3 report.
- MacRumors, Apple Unveils New Mac Studio With M5 Max and M5 Ultra Chips, August 25, 2026. August specifications, UltraFusion, memory bandwidth, clustering and M5 Max limits.
- Apple, Apple introduces new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra, newsroom, August 2026. Primary announcement for M5 Ultra claims, Media Engine and connectivity.
- MacRumors, Juli Clover, Meta and Apple Bring Muse Spark Open AI Model to Mac Studio, October 15, 2026. Meta use case with two 512GB Mac Studio systems, reported before the option shipped.
Methodology note: Apple performance figures are manufacturer claims (MF). No lab reviewer (LR) benchmark or crowd aggregate (CR) result for the 512GB configuration was in the sources checked, so no benchmark table is presented and no performance winner is declared.
PetaTech24 did not test the 512GB configuration. Prices are US prices only, as stated in the sources checked.
