- Our tests show that Apple’s M5 chip achieves impressive results
- The MacBook Pro M5 jumped to the top of our Cinebench R24 charts
- It also posted solid SSD and gaming numbers compared to previous models.
Apple’s new M5 MacBook Pro feels like a bit of an update: There’s no new design and few new features, with the M5 chip being one of the only ways to differentiate it from its M4 predecessor. However, after we put the new model through its paces in our lab tests and Apple M5 MacBook Pro review, one thing became obvious: it’s absolutely world-leading in one important way.
In TechRadar’s internal testing, the M5 MacBook Pro scored 199 in single-core tests when run on the Cinebench R24 benchmark. That’s the highest single-core Cinebench R24 score we’ve ever seen, making the laptop a powerhouse when it comes to CPU-bound workloads. For comparison, we also tested last year’s Mac mini M4 using Cinebench R24, and it scored a slower 161.
And it’s not just the M5 chip that impresses: the performance of its storage unit is also a jump above that seen in the previous model. Using the M4 chip, we recorded Blackmagic drive speed test results of 3318.6 MB/s for write speed and 2899.5 MB/s for read speed. On the M5 model, those figures increased to 6,517.7 MB/s and 6,619.7 MB/s, respectively. This is an extraordinary increase (roughly doubling the performance) and is in line with the claims Apple made when the M5 chip was launched.
There was also a significant improvement in gaming. In The shadow of the Tomb Raider Running at 1080p, for example, the M4 chip averaged 36 fps. Meanwhile, the M5 chip got a much more acceptable 57 fps. The gaming performance of modern MacBooks means they can claim to be genuine gaming machines, and these numbers, while not the best gaming benchmarks you’ve ever seen, are a notable improvement.
The battery, however, may be one area where the M5 doesn’t live up to Apple’s numbers. Early testing suggests that the MacBook Pro M5’s battery life is well below Apple’s claimed 24 hours (around 18 hours), but we need to do more benchmarking to be sure of the outcome. Real-world performance often falls short of advertised battery life, and this was also something we experienced with the M4 MacBook Pro.
A good omen for the future
When Apple launched the M5 MacBook Pro, it made an interesting move: it saved the M5 Pro and M5 Max models for a later date. Rumors suggest they will arrive in early 2026, but at least for now, they are nowhere to be seen.
But regardless of when those chips arrive, our testing of the M5 MacBook Pro bodes well for them. If the entry-level M5 series chip scored the highest single-core Cinebench result we’ve seen yet, its high-end siblings should be able to take those gains to new heights.
Apple’s marketing during the launch of the M5 focused heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) performance, but that could be underestimating the other advantages of the M5 chip. Our own testing suggests it’s a good choice regardless of whether you’re interested in AI workloads.
While you’ll certainly get excellent performance from the M5 MacBook Pro, if you really need a high-end output for your workflows, you’d be better off waiting until the M5 Pro and M5 Max models are released. When that happens, you could have even stronger options at your disposal.
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