Apple’s $11,000 Mac Studio runs a 122-billion-parameter model offline, WIRED finds
WIRED’s tests highlight the M5 Ultra’s local AI and gaming performance, alongside the heat, noise and high price of the reviewed configuration.
Apple’s M5 Ultra Mac Studio can run a 122-billion-parameter language model locally, according to WIRED’s review, which tested a configuration priced at about US$11,000 with 256 GB of unified memory.
Using the Qwen 3.5 model, WIRED says a simple task to summarise local files finished in under two minutes, offline. The reviewer found the larger model’s results more useful than those from a 9-billion-parameter version.
The system also delivered strong gaming results in WIRED’s tests: Cyberpunk 2077 ran at 160 frames per second at 1440p Ultra and 53 fps at native 4K on the same preset. A 15-second video generated on-device took more than 11 minutes, however.
WIRED noted that the computer became hot under load and its fans could get loud. The review describes local AI use as a niche proposition at this price, though the system’s memory capacity and performance may appeal to AI developers and enthusiasts.
Apple plans to offer a 512 GB memory configuration in October, according to the review, which also says up to four Mac Studios can be connected to work as one computer. WIRED points to Nvidia’s upcoming RTX Spark systems as potential competition, with up to 128 GB of unified memory.
