Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9500/120

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Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) compared with Power Macintosh 9500/120

	AppleMac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra)	ApplePower Macintosh 9500/120
Overview
Released
Released	September 2026	1995
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M5 Max or Apple M5 Ultra	PowerPC 604 120 MHz (Power Macintosh 9500/120)
CPU cores
CPU cores	18, 30 or 36	1
Graphics
Graphics	32-core GPU, 40-core GPU, 64-core GPU or 80-core GPU	Apple Accelerated Graphics card
Memory
Memory	36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB, 96 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB (better)	16 MB
Storage
Storage	512 GB to 16 TB (better)	1 GB
CPU
CPU	M5 Max: 18-core CPU with 6 super cores and 12 performance cores; M5 Ultra: 30-core CPU with 10 super cores and 20 performance cores, or 36-core CPU with 12 super cores and 24 performance cores	120 MHz PowerPC 604; 32 KB L1 and 512 KB L2 cache, integrated floating-point unit and 40 MHz system bus; processor on an upgradeable card
GPU
GPU	Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing	Bundled PCI Apple Accelerated Graphics card with 2 MB video memory, expandable to 4 MB; Apple's October 1995 catalogue identifies ATI mach64. No onboard video; card occupies one of six PCI slots
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine (M5 Max); 32-core Neural Engine (M5 Ultra)	–
Memory type
Memory type	Apple’s current specification table lists 256GB and 512GB with the 36-core CPU / 80-core GPU M5 Ultra; its configure-to-order section only explicitly restricts 512GB. Current UK store configurator lists memory options up to 256GB, so the maker-confirmed 512GB option is not claimed as currently selectable there.	Twelve 168-pin, 70 ns DIMM slots; 16 MB supplied in the listed 120 MHz configuration, expandable to 768 MB in the maker's technical sheets
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	M5 Max: 460GB/s with the 32-core GPU, 614GB/s with the 40-core GPU; M5 Ultra: 1.2TB/s	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD	1 GB SCSI hard drive, 4× AppleCD 600i CD-ROM and 1.44 MB SuperDrive floppy drive
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	–	Six PCI slots, one occupied by graphics; two additional 3.5-inch storage devices supported
Media engine
Media engine	Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; AV1 decode; M5 Max: video decode engine, two video encode engines and two ProRes encode and decode engines; M5 Ultra: two video decode engines, four video encode engines and four ProRes encode and decode engines	–
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	None built in
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × Thunderbolt 5, 2 × USB-C, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack	Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet	10 Gb/s	–
External displays
External displays	Up to 5	–
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 7	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	6	–
Front ports
Front ports	M5 Max: 2 × USB-C (up to 10Gb/s); M5 Ultra: 2 × Thunderbolt 5 (up to 120Gb/s); SDXC card slot (UHS-II)	–
Back ports
Back ports	4 × Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) with Thunderbolt 5 and USB 4 (up to 120Gb/s), USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s) and DisplayPort 2.1; 2 × USB-A (USB 3, up to 5Gb/s); HDMI 2.1 with multichannel audio output; 10Gb Ethernet (RJ-45); 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones	DB-15 video on the supplied PCI card, ADB, external DB-25 SCSI, two GeoPort-compatible serial connectors and stereo sound input/output. AAUI and 10BASE-T connectors serve the same Ethernet interface; only one is used at a time
External displays
External displays	M5 Max: up to five (four at up to 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz, plus a fifth at up to 5K 60Hz over HDMI), or three (two at up to 8K 60Hz, 5K 120Hz or 4K 240Hz, plus a third at up to 5K 60Hz over HDMI); M5 Ultra: up to eight at up to 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz, or four at up to 8K 60Hz, 5K 120Hz or 4K 240Hz; up to four over a single Thunderbolt port; VRR and HDR supported	–
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker	–
Microphones
Microphones	None built in; Apple says an external microphone or headset is needed for calls	–
Design and power
Type
Type	Compact	Tower
Weight
Weight	2.7 kg (better)	12.7 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	197 × 197 × 95 mm	196 × 400 × 430 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Japan sheet 430 × 196 × 400 mm and approximately 12.7 kg, varying with internal devices; October catalogue rounds dimensions to 429 × 196 × 401 mm and weight to 12.6 kg
Power supply
Power supply	Built-in; 100–240V AC; 480W maximum continuous power	Maximum 225 W; support table specifies 100–125 or 200–240 V at 50–60 Hz, while Japan's sheet states 100–240 V automatic selection. 3.6 V lithium clock battery
Power use
Power use	M5 Max with 32-core GPU, 36GB and 512GB: 7W idle, 200W maximum; M5 Ultra with 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 512GB memory and 16TB: 9W idle, 385W maximum (Apple wall-power test)	–
Noise
Noise	Declared to ECMA-109 as 1.5 B sound power and 7 dB sound pressure at the operator position, at idle and wireless web (M5 Ultra, 30-core CPU, 64-core GPU)	–
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 35% recycled content overall	–
Colours
Colours	Silver	–
In the box
In the box	Mac Studio, power lead	Original System 7.5.2 and System Enabler 701; Japanese package includes ADB Mouse II, power cable and software CD. Keyboard and display separate. Support lists introduction on 1 May 1995; an actual first-sale date was not established