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AtlanticFox 152K Views
Sep 23, 2026 2:46 PM

Select Stores: Apple Mac Studio Desktop (2026): M5 Max, 36GB RAM, 512GB SSD

$2,000

$2,500

20% off
(In-Store Only, Limited Stock)at Micro Center
Visit Micro Center

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Deal Details
Select Micro Center Stores have Apple Mac Studio M5 Max Desktop Computer (2026, MHL64LL/A) for $1999.99 (In-Store Only).

Thanks to Community Member AtlanticFox for finding this deal.

Note: Select stores may be available for pickup. Availability may vary by location and is very limited.

Specs:
  • Apple M5 Max 18-Core CPU
  • 36GB Unified RAM
  • 512GB SSD
  • Apple M5 Max Chip 32-Core GPU
  • WiFi 7 (802.11be) + Bluetooth 6.0
  • 480 Watt Power Supply
  • SDXC Card Reader
  • macOS
  • Ports:
    • Front/Top Panel
      • 2x USB 3.2 (Gen 2 Type-C)
    • Back Panel
      • 2x USB 3.2 (Gen 1 Type-A)
      • 4x Thunderbolt 5
      • 1x HDMI 2.1
      • 1x LAN RJ45 (10 GbE)
      • 1x 3.5mm Headphone

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Our research indicates that this deal is $449.01 less (18% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting from $2,449 at the time of this post.
  • About this store:
    • Details of Micro Center's return policy (here)

Original Post

Written by AtlanticFox
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Select Micro Center Stores have Apple Mac Studio M5 Max Desktop Computer (2026, MHL64LL/A) for $1999.99 (In-Store Only).

Thanks to Community Member AtlanticFox for finding this deal.

Note: Select stores may be available for pickup. Availability may vary by location and is very limited.

Specs:
  • Apple M5 Max 18-Core CPU
  • 36GB Unified RAM
  • 512GB SSD
  • Apple M5 Max Chip 32-Core GPU
  • WiFi 7 (802.11be) + Bluetooth 6.0
  • 480 Watt Power Supply
  • SDXC Card Reader
  • macOS
  • Ports:
    • Front/Top Panel
      • 2x USB 3.2 (Gen 2 Type-C)
    • Back Panel
      • 2x USB 3.2 (Gen 1 Type-A)
      • 4x Thunderbolt 5
      • 1x HDMI 2.1
      • 1x LAN RJ45 (10 GbE)
      • 1x 3.5mm Headphone

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Our research indicates that this deal is $449.01 less (18% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting from $2,449 at the time of this post.
  • About this store:
    • Details of Micro Center's return policy (here)

Original Post

Written by AtlanticFox

Community Voting

Deal Score
+310
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Why are you downvoting this deal?

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Top Comments

Caleo
6.9KComments
1.2KReputation
This is oddly reasonable. 36GB isn't super amazing but it's enough to run the decent MoE models that are targeted for 24GB VRAM (like gemma4:26b-a4b, qwen3.6:36b-a3b).. if local LLM is what you're looking to do with this.
Go to Comment
AtlanticFox
35Comments
26Reputation
It's $300 more than the Mac Mini M5 Pro. You get vastly better graphics performance, 12 GB extra RAM, better Ethernet. For $300 extra, it's a good deal for a lot of people. If it was the original price of $2.5k, I see your point more.
Go to Comment
ChaoticThrifty
35Comments
18Reputation
Get it while you can. I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on the Mac Mini and Mac Studio deals of winter 2025.
Go to Comment

Community Reviews

This Mac Studio deal stands out as a rare early discount on the new M5 Max model, with strong performance, 36GB unified memory, 10Gb Ethernet, and plenty of ports for productivity, video work, and local AI. The price lands close to some Mac mini M5 Pro custom builds while offering more GPU power and less throttling. The main drawbacks are the fixed 36GB memory ceiling and the 512GB SSD, which feels tight for a $2000 machine. Availability and price matching have also been messy, with stock moving fast and Best Buy approvals often depending on in store manager help.

  • The deal can be secured through Best Buy price matching when Micro Center shows local stock.

    kashhhmoneyyytejavictoryKrisK1984dshoppr

  • The 36GB unified RAM can be sufficient for running certain local MoE LLMs targeting about 24GB VRAM.

    Caleodrgka55drgka55

  • The Mac Studio configuration can offer strong connectivity and sustained performance with 10Gb Ethernet and less thermal throttling.

    cockadoodleprivater

  • The SSD can be expanded using Thunderbolt for additional storage during upgrades.

    AtlanticFoxThirstyCruz

Common Questions (5)

AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated ago

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227 Comments

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Sep 24, 2026 3:29 AM
182 Comments
Joined Dec 2013
CraftyThunderSep 24, 2026 3:29 AM
182 Comments
For those who price matched successfully, did you get this email at 5 pm cst after the fact the agent approved the price match and refund this morning.



Thank you for choosing Best Buy.

This email is in response to your price match request under order number .

Please note that the Mac Studio with Apple M5?Max chip, 36?GB memory, and 512?GB?SSD in silver is non transactable for a price match at MicroCenter. Therefore, per policy, no price match should be completed for this item.

For more information about our Price Match Guarantee, you may refer to https://www.bestbuy.com/PMG

We appreciate your business. For any other concerns, you may visit our Support Center at www.Bestbuy.com/support

Sincerely,

Dhev
Best Buy Customer Care
Sep 24, 2026 3:33 AM
265 Comments
Joined Jul 2007
sevdaliSep 24, 2026 3:33 AM
265 Comments
Quote from sd_King View quoted comment :
Would it work if there is no Microcenter in 850 miles?
Most of the time it works for me. As long as a microcenter has some stock they match.
Pro
Sep 24, 2026 3:41 AM
4.6K Comments
Joined Nov 2015
dshoppr
Pro
Sep 24, 2026 3:41 AM
4.6K Comments
Quote from Syr2425 View quoted comment :
Last 5 BB agents have said they can't price match, because it's available in limited quantities, geographically limited etc... even though 9 at my local store. What have you guys been saying for this to work?
Same for me. My local micro center has it but online BB agents did not price match. So I went to local Best buy store and asked. They price matched it.
Pro
Sep 24, 2026 3:44 AM
4.6K Comments
Joined Nov 2015
dshoppr
Pro
Sep 24, 2026 3:44 AM
4.6K Comments
Quote from CraftyThunder View quoted comment :
For those who price matched successfully, did you get this email at 5 pm cst after the fact the agent approved the price match and refund this morning.



Thank you for choosing Best Buy.

This email is in response to your price match request under order number .

Please note that the Mac Studio with Apple M5?Max chip, 36?GB memory, and 512?GB?SSD in silver is non transactable for a price match at MicroCenter. Therefore, per policy, no price match should be completed for this item.

For more information about our Price Match Guarantee, you may refer to https://www.bestbuy.com/PMG

We appreciate your business. For any other concerns, you may visit our Support Center at www.Bestbuy.com/support

Sincerely,

Dhev
Best Buy Customer Care
The agent gave me a link to order at pricematched amount. So I dont have to wait for refund.
Sep 24, 2026 4:10 AM
70 Comments
Joined Feb 2017
JamesB2007Sep 24, 2026 4:10 AM
70 Comments
Bummer. BB wont price match.
Sep 24, 2026 4:22 AM
5 Comments
Joined Nov 2025
SmilingHaddock380Sep 24, 2026 4:22 AM
5 Comments
All OOS for pickups...... The current in-stock number is for listing, not for pickup, and Best Buy does not recognize it Frown
Sep 24, 2026 7:22 AM
207 Comments
Joined Sep 2013
tzanSep 24, 2026 7:22 AM
207 Comments
Quote from AtlanticFox View quoted comment :
You can add a SSD via Thunderbolt.
That's fair.

But Even with the external SSD, The scenarios I'm thinking of:
1) Streaming models off disk (probably unlikely based on RAM)
2) OS Upgrades without having to do some painful data juggling

Wouldn't both of those have significant performance or effort costs associated with it?

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Sep 24, 2026 8:00 AM
73 Comments
Joined Jan 2022
MaroonGuitar7427Sep 24, 2026 8:00 AM
73 Comments
Quote from CraftyThunder View quoted comment :
For those who price matched successfully, did you get this email at 5 pm cst after the fact the agent approved the price match and refund this morning.



Thank you for choosing Best Buy.

This email is in response to your price match request under order number .

Please note that the Mac Studio with Apple M5?Max chip, 36?GB memory, and 512?GB?SSD in silver is non transactable for a price match at MicroCenter. Therefore, per policy, no price match should be completed for this item.

For more information about our Price Match Guarantee, you may refer to https://www.bestbuy.com/PMG

We appreciate your business. For any other concerns, you may visit our Support Center at www.Bestbuy.com/support

Sincerely,

Dhev
Best Buy Customer Care
Yes same email. I ordered for pickup, so I then cancelled it after this email denying the price match.
Sep 24, 2026 8:56 AM
182 Comments
Joined Dec 2013
CraftyThunderSep 24, 2026 8:56 AM
182 Comments
Quote from MaroonGuitar7427 View quoted comment :
Yes same email. I ordered for pickup, so I then cancelled it after this email denying the price match.
Thanks. Good call.
Sep 24, 2026 8:58 AM
182 Comments
Joined Dec 2013
CraftyThunderSep 24, 2026 8:58 AM
182 Comments
Quote from dshoppr View quoted comment :
The agent gave me a link to order at pricematched amount. So I dont have to wait for refund.
Thanks. First time running into issues with refund after the approval fact. Will seek for this option next time.
Sep 24, 2026 9:52 AM
4 Comments
Joined Sep 2017
knockout0127Sep 24, 2026 9:52 AM
4 Comments
Quote from SmilingHaddock380 View quoted comment :
All OOS for pickups...... The current in-stock number is for listing, not for pickup, and Best Buy does not recognize it Frown
Many stores have it back in stock now available for pickup
Sep 24, 2026 10:06 AM
3.6K Comments
Joined Aug 2006

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

Sep 24, 2026 10:07 AM
3.6K Comments
Joined Aug 2006

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

Sep 24, 2026 10:09 AM
3.6K Comments
Joined Aug 2006

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

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Sep 24, 2026 10:53 AM
32 Comments
Joined Nov 2015
MarkT4717Sep 24, 2026 10:53 AM
32 Comments
Microcenter restocked this morning, so if you want to price match at Best Buy, try again. My advice, go to the store. Ask if it's in stock, have them grab it for you to ring it up. AT THAT TIME, you mention the price match when they are already at register. Show them the stock and price, they will say "no shit, that's cheap".. Call over a manager who will verify and look at it as a $2000 purchase at their store in sales, and say "fark Apple" and take the price match.

Works every time.

If you are in the NY/NJ/CT area, Yonkers has 3 in stock this morning, so head to a BB quick this AM..

Don't bother with online.. they are trained to say no..

Store level kids, don't care..

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