RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Go to the 9to5Mac home page Switch site 9to5Toys 9to5Google Logo 9to5Google Electrek Drone DJ Logo DroneDJ Space Explored About Privacy Toggle social menu Toggle dark mode Search for: Submit Toggle search form Forums Store Podcasts Apple@Work Happy Hour 9to5Mac Daily Overtime iPhone iPhone Mac Mac MacBook Pro MacBook Air iMac Mac mini Mac Studio Mac Pro iPad iPad Pro iPad Air iPad mini iPad iPadOS Watch Apple Watch Apple Watch Ultra Apple Health Apple Watch SE Vision Vision Pro visionOS Music and TV Apple Music AirPods HomePod Apple TV Guides Reviews How Tos AAPL Apple Store Apple Arcade Apple Card Apple Silicon Apple One Apple Fitness+ CarPlay Siri HomeKit Toggle dark mode Mac Studio There's a $300 gotcha in an M5 Max Mac Studio upgrade Ben Lovejoy | Aug 26 2026 - 3:56 am PT 18 Comments There was a pleasant surprise in yesterday's announcement of the Mac Studio with M5 Max chip : the starting price is unchanged from that of the M4 Max Mac Studio, at $2,499.
However, if you want to upgrade the GPU, there is a gotcha in the cost of doing so – it will cost you $300 more than Apple's website initially indicates …
That hidden upgrade cost caught out John Gruber when he went to summarise the costs of each configuration of the new machines announced yesterday.
The base configuration of the machine is an 18-core CPU with a 32-core GPU. Apple then lists an upgrade to a 40-core GPU, which is very clearly displayed as costing an additional $300.
The gotcha is that selecting this option also changes the selected memory from 32GB to 48GB, which costs a further $300. Since you can't upgrade the GPU cores without also upgrading to 48GB memory, then that upgrade actually costs twice as much as indicated, at $600.
Apple advises you of this in a slightly opaque way when you select the upgraded chip.
Based on your new selection, other parts of your configuration have been updated. Please review the changes.
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Expand Close comments Expand Close comments Guides Mac Studio Author Ben Lovejoy benlovejoy Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He's known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!
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