Mac Studio M5 Max Rental

Specification and terms

Item	Mac Studio M5 Max
Unified memory	36GB (more on request)
SSD	512GB (more on request)
6-month term	$549 per month
12-month term	$529 per month
Month to month	Not available

Mac Studio machines are offered on 6- and 12-month terms only. That suits the work they are bought for: long training runs, ongoing render queues and permanent CI capacity, rather than a weekend test.

Prices in USD per month for each machine's starting configuration. More memory, storage or several machines? Ask us.

Machine learning on the M5 Max

Apple silicon shares one pool of memory between CPU and GPU. On a 36GB machine, the GPU can use most of it by default, roughly two-thirds to three-quarters. That opens up work that does not fit on a 16GB or 24GB Mac.

• Local inference. Models in the ~30B class at 4-bit fit, depending on context length. Run them with Ollama, llama.cpp or MLX.
• Experiments and evaluation. Keep two or three smaller models loaded at once to compare outputs side by side.
• Training and fine-tuning small models. PyTorch with the MPS backend and MLX both use the GPU. LoRA-style fine-tuning of small models is practical.
• Embeddings and batch jobs. Long-running indexing jobs that you leave running overnight on a machine nobody else is using.

For larger models, see the Mac Studio M5 Ultra with 96GB.

Rendering and media

A Max-class GPU is well suited to Metal-accelerated work. Typical uses include:

• Blender with the Cycles Metal backend, for previews and final frames.
• Other 3D renderers and video tools that support Metal on macOS.
• Batch encoding and transcoding with tools such as ffmpeg using VideoToolbox.

Because the Mac is yours alone, you can queue renders overnight and pick up the frames in the morning. Connect with Parsec or Screen Sharing when you need to see the viewport.

Parallel CI on one machine

Large iOS projects benefit from more memory as much as from a faster chip. On the M5 Max you can:

• Run three or four self-hosted runners side by side, each with its own DerivedData path.
• Use parallel testing in Xcode across several simulator clones with -parallel-testing-enabled YES.
• Keep warm caches for several apps at once, so incremental builds stay fast.

Teams that need more than one machine for this usually move to a Mac build farm.

M5 Max or Mac mini M5 Pro?

The Mac mini M5 Pro (24GB, 512GB, $229/mo on 12 months) is a strong Pro-class build machine. Choose the M5 Max when you need more memory for models or more GPU for rendering. If your work is mostly compiling code, the M5 Pro is often the better value.

Getting started with your Mac Studio M5 Max rental

1. Choose the M5 Max and a 6- or 12-month term in the pricing section.
2. Pay by card through Stripe, PayPal, Bitcoin or USDT. Every checkout is in USD, and account credit can be used for later invoices.
3. We set up the Mac and email you when it is ready. Access details appear under "My Macs" in your account.
4. Connect over SSH for scripts and services, or with Parsec or Screen Sharing for GPU work you need to see.

Planning a dedicated inference box? Our Apple silicon AI server page covers serving models to a team. For a wider look at the Studio range, see Mac Studio rental.

FAQ

Can I rent the Mac Studio M5 Max month to month?

No. The Mac Studio M5 Max rental is available on 6-month ($549/mo) or 12-month ($529/mo) terms.

What size of language model fits in 36GB?

Roughly up to the 30B class at 4-bit quantisation, depending on context length. Smaller models run with more headroom.

Can I get more memory than 36GB?

More memory or storage is available on request. Tell us what you need on the contact page.

What happens at the end of the term?

We send a renewal invoice before the renewal date, with reminders. You can change the term or cancel at the end of the term in your account.