Apple's Mac Studio gets its 512GB memory option back, at $15,500 instead of the old $4,000
Apple restored the 512GB unified memory option on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio as an extra $15,500, which puts the cheapest 512GB machine at $22,299; the same upgrade was $4,000 on the M3 Ultra model.
The option went live on Apple’s online store today, and it is, in MacRumors’ words, “an expensive upgrade.” It needs the “M5 Ultra chip with a 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU,” “which starts at $6,799 in the U.S.” Adding 512GB is “an additional $15,500.”
“This pushes the minimum cost for a configuration with 512GB of RAM to an eye-watering $22,299,” MacRumors wrote. Apple had said the option would return “in late October,” “and it is now available right on schedule.” Apple’s spec page lists the M5 Ultra at 96GB standard, configurable to “256GB or 512GB,” with 1.2TB/s of memory bandwidth.
The last time it was on the menu, it cost far less. In March, after Apple pulled the option from the M3 Ultra model, MacRumors noted that “512GB was $4,000 when it was available.” It also found the smaller step had grown: “It used to cost $1,600 to go from 96GB to 256GB on the high-end M3 Ultra machine, but now it costs $2,000.”
Then came June. Apple raised prices across its lineup, and the June list shows the M3 Ultra Mac Studio going to “$5,299, up from $3,999.” Apple’s statement then was “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.”
The new memory upgrade alone costs more than two complete base M5 Ultra Mac Studios.
| Mac Studio M5 Ultra (512GB) | Mac Studio M3 Ultra (512GB, until March) | Mac Studio M5 Max | Nvidia DGX Spark | Framework Desktop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max memory | 512GB | 512GB | 128GB | 128GB | 192GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 1.2TB/s | not compared | not compared | 273GB/s | not listed |
| Price of the 512GB step | $15,500 | $4,000 | not offered | not offered | not offered |
| Cheapest machine at max memory | $22,299 | not compared | not compared | not listed on maker page | not listed on maker page |
From MacRumors, Apple, Nvidia’s DGX Spark page and Framework’s Desktop page.
What Apple didn’t say. There’s no explanation for the price, no word on whether it’s tied to the shortage or will come down with it, and no shipping estimate in the coverage. MacRumors’ March report guessed Apple pulled the option “because of global DRAM shortages,” and that was a guess, not Apple’s statement.
What it means for anyone buying AI hardware. The math changed. At $15,500 for the memory alone, two 256GB machines, or a cluster of 128GB boxes like the DGX Spark, look different on a spreadsheet than they did when 512GB was $4,000. The 1.2TB/s bandwidth is still the Mac’s edge over the Spark’s 273GB/s.
Why now. Apple promised the option for late October and hit the date. The cost of memory is what moved.
The AI build-out that MacRumors ties to the memory shortage is also what makes 512GB on a desk useful. Anyone ordering this configuration is buying memory in the same market as the data centers, at the same moment, and the order page shows the result line by line.
Whether $15,500 is the shortage price or the new list price is something Apple’s order page doesn’t say.