Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512 GB vs NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 (748 GB)
M5 Ultra has 512 GB memory, 1,200 GB/s bandwidth, 310 W nominal power; DGX Station GB300 has 748 GB memory, 7,100 GB/s bandwidth, 1,600 W nominal power. Compare model compatibility, like-for-like tokens/sec and ownership cost below.
Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512 GB · NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 (748 GB)
Verdict
- throughputAcross 3 like-for-like model configurations, decode throughput is within 10% — close enough that the difference is smaller than the uncertainty in the underlying evidence.
- 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 512 GB has approximately 90% lower total monthly cost ($118 against $1,182), for a C corporation in United States (federal).
- powerThe NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 (748 GB) draws 1350 W under load against 225 W for the Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512 GB — a 6.0× difference that shows up in the electricity line and in how loud and hot the room gets.
- evidenceAll 3 like-for-like throughput rows are estimates. Treat the ranking as indicative and the margins as uncertain.
- recommendationThroughput is close enough to be a wash, so this comes down to cost and capacity: the Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512 GB is cheaper to own, and capacity differences above decide which models you can run at all.
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 512 GB | NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 (748 GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | $11,350 * | $90,082 * |
| Memory | 512 GB | 748 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 1,200 GB/s | 7,100 GB/s |
| Usable bandwidth indicator | 1,052 GB/s (88%) | 1,065 GB/s (15%) |
| Nominal power | 310 W | 1600 W |
| Measured load power | 225 W | 1350 W |
| Idle power | 14 W | 180 W |
| Architecture | unified memory | unified memory |
Like-for-like performance3 comparable models
MiniMax M3GLM-5.3 FlashTernary Bonsai 2 27BDeepSeek-V4.1 FlashDeepSeek-V3.2DeepSeek V3 671B-A37BDeepSeek R1 671B-A37BMiniMax Text 01 456B-A46B
| Model | Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512 GB | NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 (748 GB) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax M3 427.04B (23B active) | ~42.5–61.1 t/s Q5_K_M | ~43–61.9 t/s Q5_K_M | Tie (1%) estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| GLM-5.3 Flash 321.323B (18B active) | ~36.6–52.7 t/s Q8_0 | ~37.1–53.3 t/s Q8_0 | Tie (1%) estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B 27.36B | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| DeepSeek-V4.1 Flash 763.205B (16B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| DeepSeek-V3.2 685.397B (37B active) | ~31.4–45.2 t/s Q4_K_M | ~31.8–45.8 t/s Q4_K_M | Tie (1%) estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| DeepSeek V3 671B-A37B 684.531B (37B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| DeepSeek R1 671B-A37B 684.49B (37B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| MiniMax Text 01 456B-A46B 456.09B (46B 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 512 GB | NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 (748 GB) | Practical result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax M3 | ~42.5–61.1 t/s Q5_K_M · estimated | ~29.3–42.1 t/s Q8_0 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| GLM-5.3 Flash | ~36.6–52.7 t/s Q8_0 · estimated | ~37.1–53.3 t/s Q8_0 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B | — PTQ1_0 · estimated | — PTQ1_0 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| DeepSeek-V4.1 Flash | — DS4 V4.1 Q2 (SSD) · estimated | ~70–101 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| DeepSeek-V3.2 | ~33.8–48.6 t/s MLX 4-bit · estimated | ~27.3–39.2 t/s Q5_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| DeepSeek V3 671B-A37B | — MLX 4-bit · estimated | — Q5_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| DeepSeek R1 671B-A37B | — MLX 4-bit · estimated | — Q5_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| MiniMax Text 01 456B-A46B | — Q5_K_M · 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 512 GB | NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 (748 GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | $11,350 | $90,082 |
| Reclaimable VAT | $0 | $0 |
| Net cash at purchase | $11,350 | $90,082 |
| Monthly depreciation | $132.41 | $1,321.20 |
| Monthly electricity | $1.38 (10 kWh) | $10.20 (73 kWh) |
| Tax programme | §179 100.0% | §179 100.0% |
| Tax-programme benefit | $2,383 | $18,917 |
| Monthly economic cost | $118.37 | $1,182.12 |
| Total over 5 years | $7,102 | $70,927 |
Purchase prices are localized inputs in USD: tax/VAT excluded for Mac Studio M5 Ultra 512 GB and tax/VAT excluded for NVIDIA DGX Station GB300 (748 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.