# WIRED tests show M5 Ultra Mac Studio running large AI models locally

_Published Friday, October 9, 2026 at 7:38 AM EDT · AI, Infrastructure · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![WIRED tests show M5 Ultra Mac Studio running large AI models locally — Primary](https://media.wired.com/photos/6ac201081f48c9ec501c8cc7/191:100/w_1280,c_limit/Update%20best%20mac%20desktops%20102026%20top%20art%20SOURCE%20Amazon.jpg)

WIRED's testing found that an M5 Ultra Mac Studio could run a foundation-tier language model entirely on the computer. Simple tests of AI agents took five times as long on the reviewer's M5 Max MacBook Pro as on the Mac Studio.

The tested desktop had 256 GB of memory and cost over $11,000. Its M5 Ultra chip combines two M5 Max dies, and configurations support up to 512 GB of unified memory. Buyers face a substantial availability constraint: M5 Ultra Mac Studio orders can take up to four months to ship.

## Sources

- [WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/best-mac-desktop/)

---
Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/wD84_GWRM28Es92QqwmbJc
Published: 2026-10-09T11:38:47.033Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-09T11:00:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-09T14:36:40.664Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)