The long-awaited M5 Pro and M5 Max are finally here, powering Apple’s 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. For the first time, Apple has incorporated a new and improved Fusion Architecture, combining two dies onto a single chipset, bringing a host of improvements to the table. The components forming the multiple dies include the CPU, scalable GPU, Media Engine, unified memory controller, Neural Engine, and Thunderbolt 5. The M5 Pro and M5 Max also utilize TSMC’s latest and greatest 3nm ‘N3P’ architecture, so let us dive into the details immediately.
New chip design enables Apple to increase the total number of CPU cores, with the M5 Pro and M5 Max ditching efficiency cores, and can flaunt up to an 18-core configuration
The new Fusion Architecture has brought what Apple is calling super cores. Now, the M5 Pro and M5 Max don’t feature efficiency cores, but that’s not expected to matter because of the new chipset design coupled with architectural improvements, not to mention the upgraded lithography. In short, the new chipsets can ship with up to an 18-core CPU, of which six of them will be super cores paired with 12 performance cores. Apple states that this configuration brings a 30 percent boost in professional workloads.
As for the GPU, the M5 Pro and M5 Max can sport up to a 40-core configuration, with Neural Accelerators in each core with higher unified memory bandwidth, bringing more than four times the peak GPU compute for AI. Programs using ray tracing are now up to 35 percent faster compared to the M4 Pro and M4 Max. Apple also mentions that multi-core performance with the super cores combined can give the M5 Pro and M5 Max up to a 150 percent boost compared to the M1 Pro and M1 Max. As for the individual specifications and differences between older Apple Silicon, the details are listed below.
M5 Pro
- Up to 18-core CPU
- Up to 20-core GPU
- Up to 64GB unified RAM
- Up to 307GB/s unified memory bandwidth
- Faster 16-core Neural Engine
- 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4 Pro
- 6x peak GPU compute compared to M1 Pro
- 20 percent higher graphics performance than M4 Pro
- 35 percent higher ray tracing performance than M4 Pro
M5 Max
- Up to 18-core CPU
- Up to 40-core GPU
- Up to 128GB unified RAM
- Up to 614GB/s unified memory bandwidth
- Faster 16-core Neural Engine
- 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4 Max
- 6x peak GPU compute compared to M1 Max
- 20 percent higher graphics performance than M4 Pro
- 35 percent higher ray tracing performance than M4 Max
Apple won’t make you wait to get these supercharged chipsets because the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro family is available to pre-order right now, with an official release happening on March 11.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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