Mac Studio M5 Ultra: Frontier AI power comes at a price
Engadget’s review hails the Mac Studio M5 Ultra as Apple’s most powerful desktop yet, packing a 36‑core CPU, 80‑core GPU, 32‑core neural engine and up to 512GB unified memory with 1.2TB/s bandwidth. In the tested config (2TB storage, 256GB RAM) it costs $11,299 and delivers standout CPU/GPU/AI performance, plus features like four Thunderbolt 5 ports and the ability to cluster multiple units for AI workloads. However, the price premium over the M5 Max is steep for most buyers, making it worth it mainly for hardcore power users or AI developers; for others, the M5 Max (or M3 Ultra) offers far better value.
