On August 25, 2026, Apple announced the Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. Pre-orders are being accepted in Japan, with release set for September 22. The M5 Max model starts at ¥419,800 including tax. Apple's stated performance figures versus the M1 Max reach up to 2.5x for Xcode code builds and up to 10.7x for LM Studio.
Looking at these numbers alone, the 2022 M1 Max machine appears instantly outdated. But 2.5x and 10.7x don't measure the same kind of speed. The latter measures the time to generate the first token from a 14B-parameter quantized model, and the test used a high-end M5 Max configuration with 128GB of memory and an 8TB SSD. Buying the ¥419,800 base model does not mean every task gets 10 times faster.
The deciding factor for upgrading from an M1 Max isn't the generation name—it's where in your workflow you're actually waiting. The new machine could significantly cut wait times for AI, 3D rendering, and high-speed I/O. On the other hand, the entry-level domestic price has risen ¥170,000 from the M1 Max generation, and the standard SSD remains at 512GB. Breaking the performance differences down to their measurement conditions reveals the line between tasks that benefit from the upgrade and tasks where you should wait for real-world testing.
Same Chassis, Shifted Bottlenecks
The M5 Max machine's dimensions—19.7cm wide, 19.7cm deep, 9.5cm tall—are unchanged from the M1 Max machine. Updating the compute, memory, and connectivity without increasing desk footprint preserves the core value proposition of the Mac Studio.
The base configuration differences are shown in the table below. The M5 Max increases CPU cores from 10 to 18 and GPU cores from 24 to 32. Memory rises from 32GB to 36GB, but the SSD remains at 512GB. Memory bandwidth increases from 400GB/s to 460GB/s. The high-end configuration can be expanded to a 40-core GPU, 128GB of memory, and 614GB/s of bandwidth.
| Spec | M1 Max Mac Studio (2022, base) | M5 Max Mac Studio (2026, base) | M5 Max maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 10-core | 18-core | 18-core |
| GPU | 24-core | 32-core | 40-core |
| Unified memory | 32GB | 36GB | 128GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 400GB/s | 460GB/s | 614GB/s |
| SSD | 512GB | 512GB | 8TB |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4, up to 40Gb/s | Thunderbolt 5, up to 120Gb/s | Same |
The center of gravity for the changes lies in both the increased core counts and dedicated circuitry. The M5 Max embeds a Neural Accelerator handling matrix operations within each GPU core, and also supports hardware-based ray tracing. In AI inference, image generation, and 3D rendering, the generational gap tends to be larger than in ordinary CPU processing.
External connectivity could also change workflow. Thunderbolt 5's maximum 120Gb/s is three times the 40Gb/s maximum of the M1 Max generation's Thunderbolt 4. However, this is the ceiling for the connection path, including compatible storage and cables—a single SSD won't necessarily become three times faster on its own. The benefit is greater in environments running multiple high-speed storage devices, video I/O, and expansion enclosures simultaneously, where the old 40Gb/s limit was already a bottleneck.
Inside the 10.7x Figure: Waiting for the First Token
The performance multipliers Apple cites versus the M1 Max vary by more than fourfold depending on the workload. The Xcode test building an open-source project showed up to 2.5x, while Redshift rendering showed up to 4.9x. DaVinci Resolve Studio's Magic Mask showed up to 5.3x, and image generation showed up to 7.4x. A test running basecalling in Oxford Nanopore's MinKNOW showed up to 3.5x.
The largest figure, up to 10.7x, comes from LM Studio running a 14B-parameter model at 4-bit quantization with an 8,000-token prompt input. What's measured is the time until the first token is generated—not the total time to finish outputting text, nor tokens-per-second during sustained generation. This reads as the result of the M5 Max's in-GPU accelerator having a strong effect specifically at the stage of ingesting the prompt and returning the first response.
The test configuration also warrants scrutiny. The M5 Max side was a prototype Mac Studio equipped with an 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU, with 128GB of memory and an 8TB SSD. The production M1 Max unit had a 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU, with 64GB of memory and an 8TB SSD. Neither GPU core count nor memory capacity match between the two. This makes sense as a test showcasing the product's upper-limit performance, but it is not an apples-to-apples comparison between matched 36GB/512GB base models.
Redshift's up to 4.9x figure also had hardware ray tracing enabled on the M5 Max side. This is a real example of new dedicated circuitry shortening work time—and simultaneously a reason why the multiplier can't be generalized. If you're mainly compiling code, expect results closer to the 2.5x side; if you're running compatible AI or 3D workloads, results may approach the 5-10x range. Which figure applies to your upgrade decision depends on whether your everyday apps and workloads share the same acceleration pathway.
The Limits of Substituting a MacBook Pro in Pre-Release Comparisons
Third-party benchmarks also face timing constraints. AppleInsider compared the M1 Max and M5 Max Mac Studios ahead of the new machine's release, lining up Geekbench 7 CPU scores. However, at the time of publication no results existed yet for the M5 Max Mac Studio, so the article substituted a submitted score from the 16-inch MacBook Pro for the M5 Max side—a point the article itself notes explicitly.
The referenced M5 Max result showed a single-core score of 3569 and multi-core score of 33387, with 128GB of memory and model identifier Mac17,6. According to Apple's support documentation, Mac17,6 refers to the 2026 16-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 Max side showed a Mac Studio single-core score of 2143, multi-core score of 14611, with 32GB of memory. Even using the same Geekbench 7 metric, this is a one-off comparison across mismatched chassis, memory capacity, and OS build.
This comparison confirms a direction—that the M5 Max chip's short-duration CPU performance substantially exceeds the M1 Max. It does not guarantee that production Mac Studio units will hit the same numbers. Because cooling volume and power settings differ, sustained performance during long rendering sessions, fan noise, and wall-outlet power draw cannot be inferred from the MacBook Pro. SSD speed is also affected by installed capacity and component configuration.
The new Mac Studio is scheduled to launch September 22. At this stage, third-party comparisons should be treated as a leading indicator of "how much the chip itself might improve," while judgments about the desktop machine's overall polish should be reserved until production units are measured. Owners still getting by fine with an M1 Max, in particular, have no need to rush based on a single pre-release score.
A ¥170,000 Higher Entry Point, With 512GB Left Unchanged
The 2022 M1 Max Mac Studio launched in Japan at ¥249,800 including tax. The 2026 M5 Max machine starts at ¥419,800, a difference of ¥170,000—a nominal increase of 68.1%. This comparison is not adjusted for exchange rates or inflation, and the CPU and GPU configurations differ as well. The new machine's value cannot be judged as simply more or less expensive based on 68.1% alone. Still, it serves as a benchmark for M1 Max owners gauging the size of the additional investment.
Over the same period, base unified memory grew from 32GB to 36GB—a 4GB, or 12.5%, increase. The SSD remains at 512GB. As a product foregrounding local AI, 36GB can run small quantized models, but the model itself and its context share the same memory space, on top of which app and OS usage is added. This differs from the 128GB configuration Apple used to measure its up-to-10.7x figure, in terms of both the models it can hold and the headroom available.
The 512GB SSD also needs to be weighed against actual use. Storing video footage, 3D assets, and multiple local models will drain free space quickly. Because Thunderbolt 5 allows adding fast external storage, the internal SSD isn't the only solution. But factoring in the cost of external SSDs, compatible enclosures, cables, and desktop cable management, few users will be able to operate comfortably at the entry-level price alone.
There's also a pitfall in dividing the price difference by the performance multiplier. If the same AI wait times measured in the 10.7x test occur daily, the labor cost and turnaround time saved could recoup the ¥170,000. If your work is mainly code compilation—closer to the 2.5x figure—and your current wait times are already short, the payback period lengthens. Rather than fixating on the purchase price, it's more practical to estimate how many hours of wait time per month you can actually eliminate.
What Should Drive the Upgrade Decision Isn't Peak Performance, But Recoverable Wait Time
The upgrade from M1 Max to M5 Max delivers the largest benefit primarily to people who continuously use the in-GPU Neural Accelerator or ray tracing in compatible apps. If local LLM prompt processing or image generation dominates your daily deadlines, you'll approach the higher end of the stated multipliers. The same goes for video analysis tasks like 3D rendering or Magic Mask. Because memory can be expanded up to 128GB, anyone hitting memory limits on an M1 Max capped at 64GB will also see the range of feasible projects expand—even before performance gains come into play.
Next are production environments already maxing out Thunderbolt 4 bandwidth. If you're running multiple high-speed SSDs or high-resolution video equipment in parallel and experiencing copy or cache delays, Thunderbolt 5 can cut wait times separate from raw compute performance. This is an area to judge at the system level, including whether to expand internal storage or invest in external storage.
CPU-centric development work also holds upgrade value, but it's safer to set expectations around Apple's Xcode test figure of up to 2.5x rather than AI's 10.7x. Actual build times vary with project structure, caching, and degree of parallelization. If build waits on your current M1 Max repeatedly interrupt your daily flow, this is a candidate for upgrading. If wait times are already down to tens of seconds, the payoff relative to the price difference is thin.
For ProRes-centric editing or general office work, the M1 Max is often already sufficient. If your existing timeline already plays back in real time and export isn't the bottleneck for your work, daily experience won't change nearly as much as the headline numbers suggest. It's worth first checking Activity Monitor or an app's built-in measurement tools to see whether compute or memory is the actual bottleneck—and measuring storage and external I/O wait times separately.
The real-world measurements to watch for after September 22 are clear. For the 36GB/512GB base configuration, sustained CPU/GPU performance and noise levels under long workloads should be measured first. Power consumption, SSD speed, and the gap versus the 128GB configuration will also matter. Apple's official figures and the substituted MacBook Pro scores show that the M5 Max represents a substantial leap. What they don't yet show is how many minutes the ¥419,800 entry model will actually return on your specific work. What M1 Max owners need isn't anticipation of the maximum multiplier—it's confirming that number of minutes on a production unit.