Industry observers note that at a glance.
Industry observers note that expert's Rating.
According to the latest update, pros.
Industry observers note that dramatic SSD speed boost.
The report highlights that enhanced external display support.
As part of the ongoing story, cons.
The report highlights that rAM and SSD are not user upgradeable.
As part of the ongoing story, our Verdict.
Industry observers note that plus, the external display support is expanded. Sure it’s expensive, but if you want the best Mac ever made, accept no substitute. The Mac Lab’s SSD speed improvement is so dramatic that even if you bought an M4 Max or M3 Ultra Mac Lab–the previous models–you should consider upgrading to the M5 Max Mac Lab.
The report highlights that price When Reviewed.
In a fresh development, this value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined.
In a fresh development, best Pricing Today.
Industry observers note that best Prices Today: Apple Mac Lab (M5 Max, 2026).
As part of the ongoing story, retailer.
The report highlights that price.
The report highlights that £2499.
According to the latest update, view Deal.
Industry observers note that price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide.
In a fresh development, the good news is that it offers faster CPU processing and graphics. It’s a marginal boost over the previous generation, but faster is always good. The great news is that the improved SSD speed that was introduced with the M5 MacBook Pro comes to Apple’s top Mac. With the M5 Max Mac Lab, there’s good news, and there’s great news.
The report highlights that time is money, and an investment in the current Mac Lab will be money well spent. Here’s our in-depth review of the M5 Max Mac Lab . The faster SSD is such a big deal that if you’re in a production environment and you invested in an M4 Max or M3 Ultra Mac Lab, you should seriously consider upgrading, even if the prices are higher.
The report highlights that editor’s note: This review originally published on Macworld.com .
In a fresh development, m5 Max Mac Lab: Our model’s specifications.
As part of the ongoing story, customers can customize their purchase by adjusting the number of CPU and GPU cores, and add more memory and SSD storage. The Mac Lab is available in two standard configurations: A $2,499 model with an M5 Max chip (18-core CPU, 32-core GPU) and 36GB of RAM, and a $5,499 model with an M5 Ultra chip with 96GB of RAM.
The report highlights that here are the specs of our review unit:. This review focuses on the M5 Max Mac Lab with a chip upgrade, additional RAM, and a larger SSD.
As part of the ongoing story, cPU : M5 Max with 18 cores (6 super cores, 12 performance cores), 16-core Neural Engine.
In a fresh development, gPU : 40 cores.
As part of the ongoing story, memory : 128GB unified memory (614GBps memory bandwidth).
According to the latest update, storage : 4TB SSD.
As part of the ongoing story, ports : 4 Thunderbolt 5/USB-C; 10Gb ethernet; 2 USB-A (USB 3); HDMI 2.1; 3.5mm audio; 2 USB-C; SDXC Card slot.
According to the latest update, networking : Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be); Bluetooth 6; Threads; 10Gb ethernet.
As part of the ongoing story, weight : 6 pounds (2.7 kg).
According to the latest update, dimensions : 3.7 x 7.7 x 7.7 inches (9.5 x 19.7 x 19.7 cm).
Industry observers note that price (as tested) : $6,899/£6,899/CA$10,099/AU$10,899.
As part of the ongoing story, the Mac Lab design reamins unchanged from its introduction in 2022.
Industry observers note that fundry.
The report highlights that m5 Max Mac Lab: Performance.
In a fresh development, this time around, Apple decided that the M5 series would have an Ultra chip, so you can get either an M5 Max or M5 Ultra. The odd M4 Max and M3 Ultra offerings Apple had with the previous Mac Lab were due to Apple skipping a generation with its Ultra chips .
As part of the ongoing story, however, this CPU is essentially fixed at 36GB of RAM; if you want more, you must upgrade to the 18-core CPU/40-core GPU, which technically costs $300 but actually adds $600 to the price when the cost of the 48GB RAM upgrade is factored in. It can further be upgraded to 64GB ($400) or 128GB ($2,000). The $2,499 M5 Max Mac Lab comes standard with an 18-core CPU (6 super cores, 12 performance cores), a 32-core GPU, 36GB of unified memory, and a 512GB SSD.
In a fresh development, more about the pricing at the end of this review. This review looks at the M5 Max option with an 18-core CPU, a 40-core GPU, 128GB of RAM, and a 4TB SSD, which adds $4,400 the price of the Mac Lab.
Industry observers note that blackmagic Disk Tests.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
As part of the ongoing story, but the SSD performance is so overwhelmingly good, it’s the story here. I mean, this chart doesn’t look correct, does it? Apple improved SSD performance with the M5 chip series, and we’ve seen big improvements in the M5 MacBook Pro. It’s finally come to the Mac Lab–it’s almost a shame that we had to wait so long. This is one of the key reasons why you should upgrade from another Mac Lab, even if you bought one this year. It’s a difference you’ll definitely feel. Typically, we start our reviews by looking at overall performance with Geekbench, and then we work our way through more specific aspects.
In a fresh development, geekbench 7.
Industry observers note that higher scores/longer bars are faster. Results are expressed as Geekbench scores.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
According to the latest update, the previous-generation M3 Ultra is faster than the M5 Max in multi-core CPU testing, but only by 9 percent. The difference between the M5 Max and the M4 Max that it replaces is more substantial at 22 percent. Geekbench 7 was dropped just this year; it’s a general-purpose benchmark tool for gauging performance.
Industry observers note that we’ve seen improvements of 8 to 10 percent from generation to generation, so that result remains consistent. The M5 Max’s Single-core CPU results are 8 percent faster than those of the M4 Max.
Industry observers note that geekbench 6.
Industry observers note that higher scores/longer bars are faster. Results are expressed as Geekbench scores.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
The report highlights that here, the M5 Max beats the M3 Ultra, but the margin is only 7 percent in the Multi-core tests–a difference you may not notice. Since Geekbench 7 is pretty fresh, we tested with Geekbench 6 for reference.
According to the latest update, cinebench 2026.
Industry observers note that higher scores/longer bars are faster. Results are expressed as Cinebench scores.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
In a fresh development, unfortunately, we don’t have data from older Mac Developers, so the results here are presented with the M5 Pro Mac mini and the M5 MacBook Pro. Still, you can get a sense of how much and improvement you can experience if you move up the chip series. Maxon also has a benchmark tool that tests more strenuously than Geekbench.
Industry observers note that cinebench 2024.
Industry observers note that higher scores/longer bars are faster. Results are expressed as Cinebench scores.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
Industry observers note that the GPU improvement over the M4 Max is a more noticeable 33 percent. We do have Cinebench 2024 results from the previous Mac Lab lineup, and the M5 Max provides a 10 percent GPU boost over the M3 Ultra.
According to the latest update, geekbench AI Neural Engine.
Industry observers note that higher scores/longer bars are faster. Results are expressed as Geekbench scores.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
In a fresh development, geekbench AI GPU.
Industry observers note that higher scores/longer bars are faster. Results are expressed as Geekbench scores.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
As part of the ongoing story, our benchmark records don’t go that far back with this test, so we’ve included other M5 chips for reference. The M5 Max’s Neural Engine offers a vast improvement over the M4 Max and the M3 Ultra–that a boon for AI developers. The Mac Lab has become extremely widely used for AI development.
The report highlights that to get more than 36GB of RAM, you need to upgrade from the base M4 Max chip, which bumps the price by at least $600, as I outlined earlier. One thing to consider with the Mac Lab and AI is the RAM configuration.
In a fresh development, iMovie video export.
The report highlights that lower times/shorter bars are faster. Results are times in seconds.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
The report highlights that keep in mind that the previous comparison actually skips a chip generation since Apple didn’t make an M3 Max Mac Lab. The speed gain that the M4 Max had over the M2 Max Mac Lab was much more significant than the one we see between the M4 Max and M5 Max.
According to the latest update, handbrake video encode.
The report highlights that lower times/shorter bars are faster. Results are times in seconds.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
According to the latest update, the change is much more dramatic when you do not use devices acceleration. Another test where the difference between the M4/M5 Max and M2 Max are drastic.
According to the latest update, geekbench 7 Compute.
Industry observers note that higher scores/longer bars are faster. Results are expressed as Geekbench scores.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
The report highlights that the M3 Ultra posts faster Metal scores in Geekbench 7’s Compute test, but it has a CPU with twice as many core (80 versus the M5 Max’s 40-cores).
As part of the ongoing story, geekbench 6 Compute.
Industry observers note that higher scores/longer bars are faster. Results are expressed as Geekbench scores.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
In a fresh development, with Geekbench 6, the M3 Ultra shows a more significant lead over the M5 Max, but again, it’s an 80-core GPU against a 40-core CPU.
Industry observers note that video system update benchmarks.
In a fresh development, higher rates/longer bars are faster. Results are frames per second.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
In a fresh development, our results with Civilization VI , an older system update, were flat. We saw frame rate boosts of 30 percent or more in Total War: Warhammer III and Borderlands 3 .
As part of the ongoing story, in all, the multi-core CPU improvements are a tad bit more than the typical increase of 15 percent (or so) that we’ve seen between generations, with the M5 Max showing a boost of 20 percent or more over the M4 Max in many of our tests.
Industry observers note that combine that with the SSD improvement, and what we have is proof that Apple can continue to offer significant progress with its chips to make the cheaper Mac Lab a compelling machine atop the Mac lineup. If the CPU performance isn’t enough to convince you to upgrade, then take a look at the GPU, where the M5 Max even outperforms the M3 Ultra.
The report highlights that m5 Max Mac Lab: Thunderbolt 5 ports.
According to the latest update, the throughput is 80Gbps that can go up as high as 120Gbps, but you need a Thunderbolt 5 cable and a supported device to reach those top speeds. Apple upgraded the Thunderbolt ports to Thunderbolt 5 with the previous Mac Lab, so those same ports are on the current model.
As part of the ongoing story, mac Lab rear ports.
Industry observers note that fundry.
According to the latest update, the M5 Max Mac Lab also can drive three displays, with two displays at 8K/60Hz or 5K/120Hz or 4K/240Hz, and a third HDMI display at 5K/60Hz. These supported specs are improved over the M4 Max Mac Lab, so the fresh Mac Lab’s display support gets a boost. The M5 Max Mac Lab supports up to five displays, four over Thunderbolt at 6K/60Hz or 4K/165Hz, and one connected to the HDMI port at 5K/60Hz.
The report highlights that m5 Max Mac Lab: Same ol’ good stuff.
According to the latest update, the port configuration is also the same, and the keyboard, mouse, and display are sold separately. This iteration of the Mac Lab is a chip upgrade and nothing much else (besides the boosted display support, which is tied to the chip.) The design is the same as it has been since the Mac Lab’s introduction in 2022, and it’s not likely to change for a long while.
As part of the ongoing story, the Lab Display XDR is also expensive, but it’s the display that professionals who demand top-notch color and image quality will want. Speaking of display, Apple did drop fresh displays earlier this year, though you might be able to find something comparable to Apple’s $1,499 Lab Display –it’s not a bad display, it’s just that it’s quite pricey.
According to the latest update, m5 Max Mac Lab: Price.
According to the latest update, that catch is the higher price. The base M5 Max model starts at $2,499, a $500 increase over the M4 Max Mac Lab, but no more expensive that it was after Apple hiked prices in June. However, the Ultra Mac Lab went up in price again. In June, Apple increased the M3 Ultra Mac Lab’s starting price from $3,999 to $5,299, and now Apple has raised the starting price of the M5 Ultra another $200 to $5,499. Except for its non-upgradeable design, there hasn’t been a “catch” with the Mac Lab until now.
In a fresh development, apple increased the Mac Lab price last June, and made more price increases with this fresh drop.
As part of the ongoing story, foundry.
According to the latest update, if you feel like you can’t ever get enough speed, then you won’t blink at the higher prices. Others might want to wait. But I think these higher prices aren’t going to go down, even if the supply chain shortages that cause them eventually get resolved. These prices are the fresh normal , so some Mac buyers will need to reset their personal upgrade cycles. These are steep increases, enough to make anyone pause, even if you’re using a model from the M2 generation.
The report highlights that should you buy the M5 Max Mac Lab?
According to the latest update, apple’s improvements to the SSD are so compelling that even if you have an M4 Max or M3 Ultra Mac Lab, you should consider upgrading. Yes, it’s a pricey proposition, but your workflow will notice the improvement. But if you have a older Mac Lab and working with AI, you could wait for the next generation, because future M-series chips promise to have better AI capabilities. In that case, waiting isn’t a bad idea. If you’re a Mac Lab user, you need a fast Mac.
In a fresh development, if you’re fresh to the Mac Lab, I recommend buying a current model over an older M4 Max or M3 Ultra Mac Lab. The faster SSD is worth it alone. However, like I said, the Mac Lab is a pricey proposition, and if you’re an individual professional whose means of offsetting the cost of purchase aren’t as immediate as, say, someone in a bigger production house, then continue to enjoy your current Mac Lab investment.