Apple has announced updated Mac mini and Mac Studio desktop computers, along with two new Apple silicon processors: the M6 and M5 Ultra. The refreshed Macs bring major performance improvements while retaining the current designs.
Neither desktop received a physical redesign, but both models are now back in stock after being difficult to purchase for much of the year. The Mac mini also marks the debut of Apple’s M6 chip, a processor that could eventually appear in future MacBook models.
The new Mac mini skips the M5 and is available with either the M6 or M5 Pro chip. The M5 Pro is already used in the MacBook Pro, while the M6 is an entirely new processor. It is Apple’s first chip built using a 2-nanometer manufacturing process and introduces additional CPU cores.
The M6 features a 12-core CPU made up of two performance-focused super cores, four performance cores, and six efficiency cores. Apple says the new performance cores are designed to accelerate demanding multithreaded workloads without significantly increasing power consumption.
According to Apple, the M6 delivers up to 20 percent faster multithreaded performance than the M5 and up to 40 percent more performance than the M4.
Provided by Apple
The M6 also includes a faster 12-core GPU, adding two graphics cores compared with the previous generation. It is the first Mac mini to feature a Neural Accelerator for faster on-device artificial intelligence performance, a capability introduced with Apple’s M5 chip.
Apple says the M6 Mac mini can deliver up to twice the performance of the M4 Mac mini, with improved gaming throughput. The computer also includes what Apple calls a “dual 16-core Neural Engine,” which doubles peak AI performance for supported applications.
These upgrades come with a higher price. The M6 Mac mini starts at $899 with 16 GB of unified memory. Buyers can configure the compact desktop with up to 32 GB of unified memory, while memory bandwidth increases to as much as 170 GB per second. Apple says the new Mac mini is up to 40 percent faster overall.
Apple introduces the M5 Ultra chip
Apple has also updated the Mac Studio with two chip options: the M5 Max and the new M5 Ultra. This is the fourth generation of the Mac Studio, following the M3 Max and M3 Ultra models introduced in early 2025.
Apple describes the M5 Ultra as its most powerful chip to date and the company’s first processor to use a “quad-die” architecture. Previous Ultra chips used UltraFusion to connect two Max dies through a high-speed interconnect. The M5 Max itself now contains two dies, allowing the M5 Ultra to combine four dies into a single processor.
To keep the four dies working together efficiently, Apple has upgraded UltraFusion to deliver more than 4.4 TB/s of die-to-die bandwidth. This allows the combined chip to operate as a unified CPU and deliver greater performance for professional workloads.
The M5 Ultra Mac Studio adds four CPU cores for a total of 36 CPU cores. It retains an 80-core GPU, matching the M3 Ultra configuration, while benefiting from the M5 generation’s graphics improvements. The result is a more powerful Mac Studio for video editing, 3D rendering, AI development, and other demanding creative workflows.
Source: www.wired.com