The M5 MacBook’s True Performance

Apple’s latest 14-inch MacBook Pro might look identical to last year’s, but inside sits the M5 chip. The most powerful base Mac processor Apple has ever made. And this time, the “base” model might just be the biggest story of all.

The M5 leap

The M5 is Apple’s fifth-generation silicon, built on an improved 3-nanometre process. On paper, it’s 15–20% faster than the M4. But the real difference shows when you look back a few generations.

If you’re upgrading from an M1 or M2 Mac, expect performance that feels like night and day. The M5 is multiple times faster on multi-core tasks and completely transformed for GPU- or AI-driven workloads. Even M3 users will see a comfortable boost, particularly in creative apps and code compilation.

The M5’s GPU now includes built-in neural accelerators, giving it up to 3.5× faster AI performance and about 60% faster graphics rendering than the M4. In real life, that means smoother video exports, quicker 3D renders, and near-instant results from apps like ChatGPT, DALL-E and Midjourney.

Gaming on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the Apple M5 chip is now genuinely impressive for a Mac. In real‐world tests, it hit ~60 fps or higher in titles like Total War: Warhammer III and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, beating even a Windows laptop with an RTX 4050 GPU in those specific scenarios.  For many Mac users who want to create and play, the M5 delivers gaming performance that’s good enough, which gives us hope for the Pro and Max chips!

Base power that rivals Pros

Here’s the twist: Apple’s new base chip is now performing at what used to be “Pro-level” speed. Early benchmarks show the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro outpacing the M3 Pro in CPU performance, and even nipping at the heels of the once-mighty M1 Ultra desktop chip.

In other words, the smallest MacBook Pro is now doing the work of what used to be Apple’s top-tier machines. For most people, this is more than enough power for years to come.

What hasn’t changed

Apple didn’t touch the design, and frankly, it didn’t need to. The display, ports, and build quality are already class-leading. Battery life now stretches up to 24 hours, which is absurd for a machine this powerful.

One small change has caused some raised eyebrows, though: no charger in the box for UK and EU customers. You’ll need to buy the 70W adapter separately (£59), a move apparently driven by new EU environmental rules.

What comes next

Apple hasn’t released the M5 Pro or M5 Max chips yet. Those are expected in early 2026. Based on past generations, we’ll likely see another big jump in graphics power, memory bandwidth, and multi-core performance for professional workloads.

But here’s the thing: with the base M5 already outperforming last year’s Pro, Apple’s next challenge is proving why the Pro and Max versions are still worth it.