Apple has opened pre-orders for the 512GB RAM configuration of the M5 Ultra Mac Studio, a massive upgrade that pushes the price to nearly $30,000. Months after the M5 Ultra and M5 Max launch in August 2026, Apple quietly confirmed this top-tier option. The base M5 Ultra starts at $5,499 with 96GB RAM, 30-core CPU, and 64-core GPU.
Upgrading to the 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU model adds $1,300. Storage upgrades from 1TB to 16TB cost an additional $7,500. Crucially, only the high-end CPU/GPU model supports the 512GB RAM upgrade.
This brings the total maximum configuration cost to $29,799, a significant jump from the previously announced $18,299. Apple notes the first pre-orders will ship on December 3. The company characterizes this as an "Apple Bite," a small news item not warranting a full feature story.
Despite the extreme cost, demand is expected from professionals requiring maximum performance, though buyers should not anticipate rapid sell-outs like previous Apple enthusiast products.
Source: AppleInsider · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing