Apple’s M5 Max: Small Upgrades, Major Gains
▼ Summary
– The new M5 MacBooks feature significantly faster SSD speeds, with the M5 Max model showing up to 123% faster write speeds compared to its M4 Max predecessor.
– The M5 Max chip introduces a new “super core” and redesigned performance cores, replacing the efficiency cores found on the Pro and Max chips from the M4 generation.
– In benchmark tests, the M5 Max provides a modest single-core CPU performance gain of 8-9% and a 10-14% multicore improvement over the M4 Max.
– GPU performance shows more substantial gains, with the M5 Max delivering up to a 26% improvement in certain graphics rendering tests over the M4 Max.
– The performance upgrade is most significant for users upgrading from an M2 Max or older chip, while M3 or M4 Max users see less compelling reasons to upgrade aside from the faster SSD.
Testing the latest MacBooks reveals a familiar story with a notable twist. While the new models, from the $1,099 MacBook Air with M5 to the top-tier $6,149 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max, share the same design as their predecessors, their performance story is nuanced. They don’t deliver a massive leap over the previous M4 generation, but a dramatic boost in SSD speed could be a compelling reason for owners of older machines to consider an upgrade. The most significant hardware change isn’t the processor itself, but the storage. Apple promises “up to 2x” the sustained read and write speeds compared to M4 Pro and Max laptops, and real-world testing confirms this claim.
In our 16-inch MacBook Pro configured with an M5 Max chip, 128GB of memory, and a 4TB SSD, we measured sustained read speeds of 13.6GB/s and write speeds of 17.8GB/s. This represents an 86 percent increase in read speed and a 123 percent jump in write speed over the equivalent 4TB drive in an M4 Max model. Similar gains were observed in the M5 MacBook Air and M5 Pro MacBook, making this SSD performance the standout feature of the 2026 lineup.
Our review unit packs an M5 Max with 18 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores, compared to the M4 Max’s 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores. The core architecture, however, has been reshuffled. Apple introduced a new “super core” alongside redesigned performance cores. The M5 Max features six of these super cores and twelve new performance cores, optimized for power-efficient, multi-threaded work. The efficiency cores found on the base M5 are absent from the Pro and Max variants.
In single-core CPU benchmarks like Geekbench 6 and Cinebench, the new super core provides an eight to nine percent edge for the M5 Max, a typical year-over-year gain. Multicore performance is more complex. The M5 Max shows about a 10 percent improvement in Geekbench multicore, slightly less than its 12.5 percent increase in core count. It fares better in Cinebench 2026 with a 14 percent lead. Initial analysis suggests the 12 performance cores in the M4 Max help it remain competitive with the M5 Max’s six super cores in sustained multi-threaded workloads.
Graphics improvements are clearer. The 40 GPU cores in the M5 Max deliver a 26 percent boost in OpenCL performance and an 18 percent gain in Metal rendering compared to the M4 Max. This translated to tangible benefits in creative applications, shaving eight seconds off a 4K Premiere Pro export test, roughly a ten percent reduction in time.
The true value of the M5 Max becomes apparent when comparing it to older systems. For someone moving from a 2023-era M2 Max laptop, the upgrade is transformative. Single-core CPU performance is 55 percent faster, multi-core performance nearly doubles, and Metal GPU rendering sees a 64 percent improvement. Exporting a five-and-a-half-minute 4K video in Premiere Pro was 30 percent faster on the M5 Max, a gain undoubtedly assisted by those blistering SSD write speeds.
The conclusion is straightforward. If you recently purchased a MacBook Pro with an M4 Max or even an M3 Max chip, you aren’t missing a revolutionary performance leap, though the SSD speeds are exceptionally compelling. However, for professionals and power users who have been pushing a three-year-old M2 Max system to its limits, the M5 Max represents a substantial and meaningful upgrade that will be immediately felt in demanding workflows.
(Source: The Verge)
