Moving up a class
Apple Mac Studio · M5 Ultra vs Apple Mac Studio · M3 Ultra
Memory, bandwidth, software stack, price and the models each one can hold. Generated from the two sourced machine records; estimates are labelled.
Apple Silicon
Apple Mac Studio · M5 Ultra
96 GB unified · selected model
Open the record
Apple Silicon
Apple Mac Studio · M3 Ultra
96 GB unified · reference
Open the recordWhat actually differs
- Same Apple Silicon platform. Model recipes carry over; the real differences are chassis, storage, cooling, support and price.
- Both expose 96 GB to models (96 GB unified · selected model vs 96 GB unified · reference).
- Memory bandwidth is not in the record for the Apple Mac Studio · M5 Ultra, so the Lab cannot compare generation speed ceilings.
- No public list price in the record for either machine. Ask the supplier for a configured quote.
Which models fit
Estimate · 4-bit · 8K context · 1 request| Model | Apple Mac Studio · M5 Ultra | Apple Mac Studio · M3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.1 8B | Fits 16 GBBandwidth not in record | Fits 16 GB≤ 144 tok/s |
| Qwen3 14B | Fits 20 GBBandwidth not in record | Fits 20 GB≤ 83 tok/s |
| Qwen3 32B | Fits 32 GBBandwidth not in record | Fits 32 GB≤ 39 tok/s |
| Llama 3.3 70B | Fits 54 GBBandwidth not in record | Fits 54 GB≤ 19 tok/s |
| gpt-oss-20b (MoE) | Fits 23 GBBandwidth not in record | Fits 23 GB≤ 331 tok/s |
| gpt-oss-120b (MoE) | Fits 80 GBBandwidth not in record | Fits 80 GB≤ 232 tok/s |
| Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) | Too large 151 GB | Too large 151 GB |
| DeepSeek V3 / R1 671B (MoE, MLA) | Too large 408 GB | Too large 408 GB |
Specifications
Sourced and dated| Apple Mac Studio · M5 Ultra | Apple Mac Studio · M3 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Chip / accelerator | Apple M5 Ultra · 30-core CPU / 64-core GPU | Apple M3 Ultra |
| Platform | Apple Silicon | Apple Silicon |
| Model memory | 96 GB unified · selected model | 96 GB unified · reference |
| Memory bandwidth | Not verified for selected M5 Ultra | 819 GB/s |
| Software stack | MLX and Metal | MLX and Metal |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Storage | 1 TB · reference | 1 TB · reference |
| Networking | Confirm current M5 configuration | Thunderbolt 5 · 10 GbE |
| Form factor | Mini workstation | Mini workstation |
| Dimensions | Confirm current M5 chassis specifications | 197 × 197 × 95 mm |
| Weight | Not verified | Not verified |
| Power rating (not consumption) | 480 W maximum continuous power rating · not typical consumption | 480 W maximum continuous power rating · not typical consumption |
| Supplier list price | Preorder · price from the manufacturer · No public list price · manufacturer page | Price from the manufacturer · No public list price · manufacturer page |
| Availability | Apple lists availability from 22 September 2026 | Earlier generation · check reseller stock |
| Model configurations in the Lab | 3 | 3 |
| Setups in the Lab | 1 | 1 |
| Record reviewed | 2026-09-13 | 2026-09-07 |
Before you choose
Apple Mac Studio · M5 Ultra
- Apple store lists this configuration for pre-order, available from 22 September. No usable price was exposed in the reviewed store page.
- This is a new configuration. Runtime compatibility, actual GPU memory allowance and performance have not been validated by this lab.
Apple Mac Studio · M3 Ultra
- This is a specific M3 Ultra configuration, not a claim that it is the latest Mac Studio.
- CUDA workloads need a different platform. UT’s complete managed stack is not validated here.
Own one of these? A measured run (model revision, runtime, context, tokens per second) is worth more than this whole page. Publish it.