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Mac Studio Q&A

Update Published September 30, 2026

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What custom processor options are available for the Mac Studio? Is it possible to upgrade the processor after purchase?

As confirmed by site sponsor OWC in its teardown of the initial "M1 2022" Mac Studio, the Mac Studio models do not have a processor (SoC) that is designed to be upgraded after purchase.

Subsequent Mac Studio models are the same general design and likewise do not have upgradable processors, either.

Mac Studio Processor
Photo Credit: Other World Computing (Original Mac Studio Processor)

However, at the time of initial purchase, the processor in each Mac Studio model can, or could, be custom configured with a higher performance option.

Specifically, the following standard Mac Studio models each have a custom processor option that provides more CPU cores and/or GPU cores than the default:


1 Standard Mac Studio Models Custom Processor Option 1 Mac Studio "M1 Max" 10 CPU/24 GPU Apple M1 Max 10/32* CPU/GPU
1 Mac Studio "M1 Ultra" 20 CPU/48 GPU Apple M1 Ultra 20/64* CPU/GPU
1 Mac Studio "M2 Max" 12 CPU/30 GPU Apple M2 Max 12/38* CPU/GPU
1 Mac Studio "M2 Ultra" 24 CPU/60 GPU Apple M2 Ultra 24/76* CPU/GPU
1 Mac Studio "M3 Ultra" 28 CPU/60 GPU Apple M3 Ultra 32/80* CPU/GPU
1 Mac Studio "M4 Max" 14 CPU/32 GPU Apple M4 Max 16/40* CPU/GPU
1 Mac Studio "M5 Max" 18 CPU/32 GPU Apple M5 Max 18/40* CPU/GPU
1 Mac Studio "M5 Ultra" 30 CPU/64 GPU Apple M5 Ultra 36/80* CPU/GPU


If you're not sure which Mac Studio you have -- or otherwise are trying to confirm the CPU and GPU before buying a specific Mac Studio, especially on the used market -- EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature makes it easy to precisely identify each Mac Studio by Model Number and Order Number and by other identifiers, too. Mac Identification may be helpful, as well.







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