Since this is a translation of an overseas article, there may be some mistranslations.
New Apple Mac computers can drive up to eight 4K 165Hz monitors
Apple has unveiled its most powerful Mac Studio computers yet, powered by the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. The M5 Ultra can drive up to eight 4K 165Hz monitors.
Having designed its own chips for years, the American company continues to push the boundaries of performance and functionality, competing with AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and Qualcomm.
For example, AMD and Nvidia's most powerful consumer graphics cards, the RTX 5090 and RX 9070 XT, can drive up to four monitors simultaneously at 4K 165Hz or 4K 144Hz. Both companies offer professional solutions that can drive more displays, but these are significantly more expensive.
Eight monitors – 11 billion pixels per second
Verified performance specifications for the M5 Ultra are not yet available, but its raw pixel output alone gives an indication of its power. The M5 Ultra is essentially two M5 Max chips fused together.
The Mac Studio with the M5 Ultra can drive up to eight monitors, all operating at 4K 165Hz or 6K 60Hz. This is made possible through its multiple Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports and HDMI port, which support DisplayPort 2.1.
The Mac Studio's M5 Max can drive up to five displays: four 4K 165Hz or 6K 60Hz displays and a fifth 5K or 4K 60Hz display.
Apple's previous Ultra chips could also drive up to eight displays, but only at lower resolutions and refresh rates. Previous Max chips supported up to four displays.
The new M6 chip, Apple's first 2nm chip in the Mac mini, can now drive up to three monitors: two 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz displays and a third 5K or 4K 60Hz display. The M5, M4, M3 were limited to two external monitors, while the M2 and M1 were limited to one.
Eight displays at 4K 165Hz corresponds to a staggering 10.95 billion pixels per second.
Or fewer monitors with higher resolutions
While having many displays can be useful for certain apps and workflows, needing eight monitors is extremely rare, as is needing five.
However, the M5 Ultra's performance could also be utilized to drive a smaller number of monitors with higher resolutions or refresh rates, such as four 8K 60Hz, 5K 120Hz, or 4K 240Hz monitors. The M5 Max can drive up to two 8K 60Hz monitors.
Considering this, it becomes clear that a realistic ecosystem of high refresh rate 8K or 10K for large theater screens or virtual reality headsets is still a long way off.
However, the Mac Studio is also expensive. Models with the M5 Max start at $2500, while models with the M5 Ultra start at $5500. The Mac Studio is compact in size, about the size of a stack of CD cases, but it's incredibly powerful.
▶ Source: https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1787729087
