Trending Now - Apple's M5 Max Chip Delivers Major Boost for 16-inch Macbook Pro
WHO:
Apple Inc.
Jason Snell, writer at Six Colors
Max Weinbach, reviewer
Tom’s Hardware, publication
Brian Westover, writer at PCMag
The Verge, publication
WHAT:
The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max chip has a configuration that includes 18 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores, along with 128GB of memory and a 4TB SSD.
The 4TB SSD in the 16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro can sustain a read speed of 13.6GB/s and a write speed of 17.8GB/s, which is 86 percent faster reads and 123 percent faster writes than the 4TB drive on the M4 Max.
The M5 Max's single-core performance in Geekbench 6 is 4,338, while the multi-core performance is 29,430.
The M5 Max shows a 26 percent improvement in GPU performance with the OpenCL framework and an 18 percent improvement with Metal graphics rendering.
The M5 Max cut Premiere Pro 4K export time by 30 percent compared to the M2 Max.
Apple released new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips on March 11th, 2026.
The M5 CPU core is approximately 15% faster than the M4 generation.
The M5 Pro and M5 Max configurations include 15 or 18-core CPUs.
A review unit was reported to be 23% faster than an M4 Max laptop.
The M5 Pro has 20 GPU cores, while the M4 Max has 32 GPU cores.
The M5 Max achieved a Geekbench 6 single-core score of 4,338 and a multi-core score of 29,430.
The MacBook Pro completed a 25GB file transfer at a rate of 3,835.38 MBps.
The next fastest competitor, the Framework, achieved a transfer rate of 1,724.69 MBps.
The Mac transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 1 minute and 55 seconds, outperforming the Galaxy Book6 Ultra, which took 3 minutes and 18 seconds.
WHERE:
The reviews and tests were conducted by various tech publications, including 9to5Mac, Ars Technica, and PCMag.
WHEN:
The new MacBook Pro models were released on March 11th, 2026.
The M4 models were launched in late 2024.
WHY:
The main reason to upgrade to the new MacBook Pro is for improved performance.
HOW:
The M5 Max features six super cores and 12 redesigned performance cores, optimized for power-efficient, multi-threaded workloads.
The M5 Pro and M5 Max chips utilize a new "performance" core architecture, enhancing efficiency and performance compared to previous models.
(UPDATED March 10, 2026 05:19 UTC)
Apple has unveiled the new 16-inch MacBook Pro featuring the M5 Max chip, which boasts an impressive configuration of 18 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores, along with 128GB of memory and a 4TB SSD. This latest model achieves remarkable speeds, sustaining read speeds of 13.6GB/s and write speeds of 17.8GB/s, making it significantly faster than its predecessor, the M4 Max. Additionally, the M5 Max shows a 26 percent improvement in GPU performance and has reduced Premiere Pro 4K export times by 30 percent compared to the M2 Max.
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(UPDATED March 10, 2026 01:25 UTC)
Apple has announced the release of new MacBook Pro models featuring the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, set to hit the market on March 11, 2026. These new chips promise significant performance improvements, with the M5 CPU core being about 15% faster than the previous M4 generation, and the M5 Max achieving impressive benchmark scores and rapid file transfer rates. Reviews from tech publications indicate that the new models excel in tasks like video transcoding, further solidifying their appeal for those looking to upgrade for enhanced performance.