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Full Breakdown

Apple Unveils Pricing for Mac Studio with 512 GB Unified Memory

By Drooid · · How we work

In this breakdown

01

New Configuration and Pricing Details

Apple’s online configurator now offers the Mac Studio equipped with the top-tier M5 Ultra chip (36-core CPU, 80-core GPU) paired with a 512 GB unified-memory option. Selecting this upgrade adds $15,500 to the base price of the M5 Ultra model, which starts at $6,799 in the United States. Consequently, the minimum cost for a Mac Studio with 512 GB of RAM is $22,299. Buyers can also expand storage to a maximum of 16 TB; at that level the total price reaches $29,799. Apple indicates that units ordered with the 512 GB memory configuration are slated to ship in late November through early December.

02

Background and Prior Announcement

The 512 GB memory option was first disclosed when Apple announced the M5 Max and M5 Ultra configurations of the Mac Studio in August. At that time, Apple said the high-capacity memory upgrade would become available in October. The current release follows that schedule, making the option live on Apple’s website as of today. The M5 Max variant continues to top out at 128 GB of RAM, underscoring that the 512 GB capacity is exclusive to the M5 Ultra platform.

Visual evidence

Mac Studio
Mac StudioPhoto: 9to5mac
Mac
MacPhoto: 9to5mac

03

Data Summary

  • Memory: 512 GB unified RAM (upgrade from 96 GB base)
  • Upgrade cost: $15,500
  • Base price with 512 GB RAM: $22,299
  • Maximum configuration (512 GB RAM + 16 TB storage): $29,799
  • Availability: Shipping late November–early December

04

Apple’s Official Position

Apple’s product page confirms that the 512 GB memory option is now purchasable and that the pricing reflects the additional hardware resources. The company reiterates that the upgrade is limited to the M5 Ultra configuration and that the rollout aligns with the timeline promised in the August announcement.

05

Market Implications

The pricing places the 512 GB Mac Studio at the high end of the professional desktop market, targeting users with intensive workloads such as video rendering, 3D simulation, and large-scale machine-learning tasks. The steep cost may limit adoption to enterprises and specialist creators, while the continued 128 GB ceiling on the M5 Max line preserves a clear differentiation between Apple’s two high-performance tiers.