New Mac Minis and Studios: Pricing and RAM/SSD Options Detailed
Apple has unveiled its latest Mac Mini and Mac Studio models, featuring powerful M6 and M5 Pro/Max/Ultra chips. Here's a breakdown of available memory and storage configurations and their costs.
Apple officially launched its refreshed lineup of Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktop computers this week, showcasing new M6 and M5 series chips. The announcement detailed base model pricing, but comprehensive configurations for memory (RAM) and storage (SSD) alongside their associated costs have now been compiled, offering a clearer picture for potential buyers.
The Mac Mini arrives with options powered by the M6 chip, featuring a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU for a starting price of $900. For this model, RAM upgrades are available in 24 GB for an additional $200 or 32 GB for $400, building upon the 16 GB base. SSD storage options range from 512 GB ($200 upgrade), 1 TB ($500), 2 TB ($1,000), up to a 4 TB maximum, presenting a substantial cost for expanded storage. The M5 Pro chip offers more performance tiers, including a 15-core CPU/16-core GPU version starting at $1,700 and a more powerful 18-core CPU/20-core GPU model at $1,900. RAM for the M5 Pro can be configured up to 64 GB ($1,000 upgrade), with SSDs going up to 8 TB ($3,800 upgrade).
Understanding the Cost of High-End Configurations
The Mac Studio lineup sees significant power with the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. The M5 Max starts at $2,500 for an 18-core CPU/32-core GPU configuration, with RAM options up to 128 GB ($2,000 upgrade) and SSDs up to 8 TB ($3,800 upgrade). For users demanding the utmost performance, the M5 Ultra chip is available, with its highest-end configuration featuring a 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU, priced at $6,800. This flagship model can be equipped with up to 256 GB of RAM for an additional $4,000, though there's a notable gap between the 96 GB base and this high-tier option. Storage for the M5 Ultra can reach an immense 16 TB for $7,500.
When configuring these new Apple desktops, the cost of storage can quickly escalate. For instance, opting for a 2 TB SSD on the base M6 Mac Mini adds $1,000 to the purchase price, exceeding the computer's initial $900 cost. Similarly, a 4 TB SSD upgrade for an M5 Pro Mac Mini, costing $1,800, surpasses the starting price of the computer itself. These figures highlight the premium Apple places on expanded storage, a common practice across its product lines but particularly pronounced in these high-performance machines.
Beyond processing power and storage, connectivity options also factor into the final price. On the Mac Mini models, upgrading from the standard 2.5 gigabit Ethernet to 10 gigabit costs an additional $100. The Mac Studio, however, includes 10 gigabit Ethernet as standard across all configurations. These details, combined with the various RAM and SSD choices, allow users to tailor their new Mac precisely to their performance needs and budget, from entry-level creative tasks to demanding professional workflows.