Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB vs RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB)
M5 Ultra has 256 GB memory, 1,200 GB/s bandwidth, 300 W nominal power; RTX PRO 6000 has 96 GB memory, 1,792 GB/s bandwidth, 750 W nominal power. Compare model compatibility, like-for-like tokens/sec and ownership cost below.
Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB · RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB)
Verdict
- throughputThe RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) delivers approximately 26% higher aggregate decode throughput across 4 like-for-like model configurations (same quantization, runtime, context and inference settings).
- capacityBoth machines run all 8 compared models in their best practical configurations. Compare their quantizations and evidence labels before treating any throughput difference as a hardware result.
- costAt 8 hours a day, the Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB has approximately 32% lower total monthly cost ($90 against $134), for a C corporation in United States (federal).
- powerThe RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) draws 660 W under load against 215 W for the Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB — a 3.1× difference that shows up in the electricity line and in how loud and hot the room gets.
- evidenceAll 4 like-for-like throughput rows are estimates. Treat the ranking as indicative and the margins as uncertain.
- recommendationThere is no single answer: the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) is faster, the Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB is cheaper to own, and the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) gives more throughput per unit of purchase currency. Pick on whichever constraint actually binds you — interactive latency, monthly budget, or capacity headroom for larger models later.
Every statement above is generated from the calculations on this page by fixed rules — no prose is written for individual comparisons. If the numbers change, the verdict changes with them.
Hardware
| Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | $8,647 * | $10,359 * |
| Memory | 256 GB | 96 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 1,200 GB/s | 1,792 GB/s |
| Usable bandwidth indicator | 1,052 GB/s (88%) | 1,332 GB/s (74%) |
| Nominal power | 300 W | 750 W |
| Measured load power | 215 W | 660 W |
| Idle power | 13 W | 60 W |
| Architecture | unified memory | discrete gpu |
Like-for-like performance4 comparable models
Ternary Bonsai 2 27BDeepSeek-V4 FlashQwen3.5 122B-A10BNemotron 3 Super 120B-A12BMistral Small 4 119B-A6.5Bgpt-oss-120bMixtral 8x7BPhi-3.5 MoE 42B-A6.6B
| Model | Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B 27.36B | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| DeepSeek-V4 Flash 304.18B (13B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Qwen3.5 122B-A10B 125.086B (10B active) | ~105–152 t/s Q4_K_M | ~133–192 t/s Q4_K_M | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) +26% estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12B 123.611B (12B active) | ~89.7–129 t/s Q4_K_M | ~113–163 t/s Q4_K_M | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) +26% estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B 119.401B (6.5B active) | ~133–191 t/s Q5_K_M | ~168–242 t/s Q5_K_M | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) +26% estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| gpt-oss-120b 116.829B (5.1B active) | ~203–293 t/s MXFP4 | ~257–369 t/s MXFP4 | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) +26% estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| Mixtral 8x7B 46.703B (13B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Phi-3.5 MoE 42B-A6.6B 41.873B (6.6B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
Hardware deltas are calculated only when quantization, runtime, exact context, execution/decode mode and relevant inference settings match. Measured and estimated results are never compared to each other. A difference under 10% is reported as a tie.
Best practical configuration
| Model | Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) | Practical result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B | — PTQ1_0 · estimated | — PTQ1_0 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| DeepSeek-V4 Flash | ~89.3–129 t/s MLX 4-bit · estimated | — DS4 Q2 (mixed) · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Qwen3.5 122B-A10B | ~63.6–91.6 t/s Q8_0 · estimated | ~133–192 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12B | ~53.7–77.3 t/s Q8_0 · estimated | ~113–163 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B | ~94–135 t/s Q8_0 · estimated | ~192–276 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| gpt-oss-120b | ~203–293 t/s MXFP4 · estimated | ~257–369 t/s MXFP4 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Mixtral 8x7B | — Q8_0 · estimated | — Q8_0 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Phi-3.5 MoE 42B-A6.6B | — Q8_0 · estimated | — Q8_0 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
This is a deployment comparison: each machine uses its own recommended configuration. Different quantizations can change speed and quality, so these figures are not raw hardware benchmarks.
Economics — United States (federal), C corporation, 8h/day
| Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | $8,647 | $10,359 |
| Reclaimable VAT | $0 | $0 |
| Net cash at purchase | $8,647 | $10,359 |
| Monthly depreciation | $100.88 | $146.75 |
| Monthly electricity | $1.32 (9 kWh) | $4.44 (32 kWh) |
| Tax programme | §179 100.0% | §179 100.0% |
| Tax-programme benefit | $1,816 | $2,175 |
| Monthly economic cost | $90.39 | $133.85 |
| Total over 5 years | $5,424 | $8,031 |
Purchase prices are localized inputs in USD: tax/VAT excluded for Mac Studio M5 Ultra 256 GB and tax/VAT excluded for RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation (96 GB). Net cash and monthly economic cost then apply the selected United States (federal) / C corporation tax treatment. Tax assumptions last verified 2026-09-07. Federal planning estimate only, not tax advice. State and local income tax, sales/use tax and incentives are excluded. It assumes 100% business use, a Section 179 election, enough business income to use it, and that the full annual limit remains available.