Apple’s latest Mac Studio lineup now reaches an eye-watering $18,299 before taxes for the highest-spec available configuration—and that’s with 256GB of unified memory. A yet-unpriced 512GB variant isn’t up for pre-order yet, but it’s set to arrive in late October.
What’s Available Now
The current top-tier Mac Studio you can order today packs the M5 Ultra chip with a 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU, 256GB of unified memory, and maxes out storage at 16TB. The base M5 Ultra model begins at $5,499. Upgrading the CPU/GPU combo adds $1,300, while expanding storage from the minimum to 16TB costs another $7,500—getting you to $18,299 in all before tax. Additional extras like AppleCare are extras you’ll need to opt into separately. AppleCare One is available at $19.99/month, but shouldn’t be confused with storage or RAM options, which are locked in once you place your order.
The Waiting Game: 512GB Model
Full fat specs aren’t quite complete yet. The 512GB unified memory model of the M5 Ultra Mac Studio—which would be the most memory you can currently choose—is shown as coming in October and can’t yet be ordered. Today’s configuration options only allow 96GB or 256GB RAM, and Apple hasn’t revealed how much the 512GB version will cost. Given the steep jump from 96GB to 256GB, industry expectation is that 512GB launch pricing will reach well over $20,000 before tax.
In short: if you absolutely need the maximum memory, you’ll have to wait until the fall—or settle for today’s limit. Either way, this is shaping up to be among the priciest Macs yet.
This price positioning continues Apple’s trend toward charging a premium for high-end RAM and storage, and the delayed availability of extreme specs (like the 512GB model) signals continued strain on supply chains—especially for advanced memory modules. What to watch: when the 512GB version goes live, what its actual price is, and whether it further shifts the high-end Mac pricing landscape.
