The new Mac Studio appeared with a new M5 Ultra chip on Tuesday, making it the top option for anyone working on AI. It marks the fourth Ultra model to be released, over four years after the very first one was introduced. Back in March 2022, the M1 Ultra model was viewed as a big deal. Thanks to its processing power, it clearly was. But three model upgrades and four chip generations later, there's a lot of change to consider when it comes to performance. Here's how the M5 Ultra Mac Studio measures up against the M1 Ultra version that launched the family in 2022.

M5 Ultra Mac Studio vs M1 Ultra Mac Studio - Specifications

Specifications M5 Ultra Mac Studio (2026)

M1 Ultra Mac Studio (2022)

Launch starting price

$5,499

$3,999

Dimensions (inches)

7.7 x 7.7 x 3.7

7.7 x 7.7 x 3.7

Weight (pounds)

8.0

7.9

Processor

Apple M5 Ultra, up to 36-core CPU (12 super cores, 24 performance cores)

Apple M1 Ultra, 20-core CPU (16 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores)

AI processing

32-core Neural Engine, GPU Neural Accelerators

32-core Neural Engine

Graphics

Up to 80-core GPU, third-generation ray tracing

Up to 64-core GPU

RAM

96GB, 256GB, 512GB

64GB, 128GB

Memory bandwidth

1.2TB/s

800GB/s

Networking

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth

Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0

Storage

1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB, 16TB

1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB

M5 Ultra Mac Studio vs M1 Ultra Mac Studio - Design, Weight, Size

Apple has left the Mac Studio exterior untouched across four years and multiple chips. The compact round-cornered aluminum block of the current edition measures 7.7 inches square and 3.7 inches tall, identical to the 2022 model. Likewise, there's not much difference when weight is involved. The M1 Ultra is lighter at 7.9 pounds, but the M5 Ultra's extra mass at 8 pounds won't be noticed on your desktop, and probably not when you pick it up either. The front has stayed consistent, with a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports for M1 Ultra or Thunderbolt 5 for M5 Ultra alongside a memory card reader.