# Apple Unveils High-End Mac Studio with M5 Ultra Chip The $5,499 workstation targets professional creators with extreme performance. - **Source:** [CNET (YouTube)](https://brifing.si/source/d98fed98-60b0-44b1-9469-4438fc7d13f9) - **Published:** 2026-09-21 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/618a67dd-5507-4144-bd2e-dae895e6c264 ## Flagship workstation specs The Mac Studio features Apple's new M5 Ultra chip with 32-core CPU and 80-core GPU configurations. It supports up to 256GB unified memory and 8TB SSD storage. The thermal design maintains whisper-quiet operation under heavy loads. Ports include Thunderbolt 5, HDMI 2.1, and 10Gb Ethernet for professional connectivity. ## Target user profile Apple positions this as the ultimate machine for 8K video editors, 3D artists, and music producers. Benchmarks show 3.5x faster rendering than previous Intel-based Mac Pros. The compact form factor (7.7" x 7.7" x 3.7") makes it suitable for studio environments where space is premium. ## Pricing strategy At $5,499 base price (64GB RAM/1TB SSD), it undercuts comparable PC workstations by 15-20%. Fully configured models approach $12,000. Apple offers 0% financing for qualified business customers. The price reflects components like the 7nm M5 Ultra's estimated $800 manufacturing cost. ## Creative software optimization Final Cut Pro shows 90% faster 8K timeline performance versus M2 Max. Adobe Premiere Pro and Maya will receive native M5 Ultra updates in Q3 2024. DaVinci Resolve already supports hardware-accelerated encoding. Apple's MetalFX upscaling works across creative apps. ## Professional ecosystem play The Studio complements Apple's Pro Display XDR ($4,999) and Studio Display ($1,599). Thunderbolt 5 enables daisy-chaining multiple high-resolution monitors. Apple targets post-production houses replacing aging Intel Mac Pros. The system ships with macOS Sonoma optimized for creative workflows. ## Performance benchmarks Geekbench 6 scores show 4,200 single-core and 38,500 multi-core results. Blender renders complex scenes 4.2x faster than M2 Ultra. The neural engine handles 38 trillion operations per second for AI tasks. Memory bandwidth reaches 800GB/s - crucial for large asset libraries. ## Competitive landscape Dell's Precision 7865 ($6,299) and HP's Z8 Fury ($7,899) offer similar specs with Xeon CPUs. Apple's advantage lies in power efficiency (70W max vs 300W+ PCs) and macOS exclusives. However, PC workstations support user-upgradable components - a limitation of Apple's unified architecture. ## Professional market implications This release completes Apple's transition from Intel in professional segments. Early adopters include Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic. The M5 Ultra demonstrates Apple's vertical integration benefits. It pressures PC makers to improve power efficiency while maintaining workstation-class performance. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bMtHbhSBwEY — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._