Apple has released an updated Mac mini featuring the new M6 chip, along with performance improvements to the Mac Studio. While the upgrades were expected by many users, the price increases mean Apple’s entry-level Macs are less affordable than in previous years.
Apple skipped the M5 generation for the Mac mini, moving directly to the M6, its first chip built on a 2-nanometer process. This makes the mini a stronger option for AI hobbyists, who have increasingly used it to run local models and assistants.
So the M6 breaks down into 12 cores, two super cores, four performance cores, six efficiency cores, plus a dual 16-core Neural Engine (32 cores total) that Apple says is twice as fast as the M5 for AI tasks. The GPU’s got 12 cores too, each with a neural accelerator built in, which is actually the first time the Mac mini’s gotten those (they showed up on the M5 first). Put it all together and Apple’s claiming 4x faster AI performance and 2x the gaming power over the old M4 mini.
Users who want more performance can choose the M5 Pro configuration, which starts at $1,699. It offers up to an 18-core CPU, a 20-core GPU, up to 64GB of RAM, 307 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and rear Thunderbolt 5 ports. The standard M6 model is limited to 32GB of RAM, 170 GB/s of bandwidth, and Thunderbolt 4.
However, these performance improvements come with a higher price. The base Mac mini with the M6 chip now starts at $899, a $100 increase from the previous model, and still includes only 256GB of storage. That’s $300 more than earlier Mac mini pricing, which Apple attributes to rising memory costs tied to AI demand. The Mac mini, once known as one of the best deals in computing at $599, is now a much bigger purchase.
The Mac mini’s design remains the same, with its familiar compact aluminum enclosure. It now comes standard with Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5 Gbps Ethernet.
Mac Studio Moves to M5 Max and M5 Ultra
Apple is also updating its professional desktop, the Mac Studio, which now offers M5 Max and M5 Ultra chip options. The M5 Max has already appeared in the MacBook Pro, but the M5 Ultra is different; it uses Apple’s 4.4 TB/s “UltraFusion” connection to combine two M5 Max chips, forming what Apple calls its first quad-die chip.
Configurable up to 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, the M5 Ultra brings claimed gains of up to 25 percent in single-threaded performance and 30 percent in multi-threaded performance over the M3 Ultra. Graphics performance climbs as much as 40 percent, while AI compute sees a 4.5x uplift.
Mac Studio pricing starts at $2,499 for M5 Max and $5,499 for M5 Ultra. The Ultra model targets high-end production studios and professional environments, not typical creatives.
Storage also gets a boost in the new Mac Studio, with next-gen PCIe Gen 6 SSDs delivering up to twice the transfer speeds of the previous generation. On connectivity, it offers two Thunderbolt 5 ports and can drive up to four Apple Studio Display XDR monitors at 5K/120Hz.
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