MacBook Pro with M5 Chip: Class-Leading Performance in Early Tests

It's official – the MacBook Pro with the M5 chip leads its class in one key area, boding well for the upcoming M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.

Our tests showed that Apple's new M5 chip delivers impressive results. The MacBook Pro with the M5 chip jumped to the top of our charts in the Cinebench R24 test. Cinebench R24 is a benchmark used to measure CPU and GPU performance by rendering complex scenes using the Redshift engine, reflecting real-world performance in 3D design and animation tasks. It also posted strong numbers in SSD and gaming performance compared to previous models.

The Apple MacBook Pro with the M5 chip update seems minor – no new design or few features, with the M5 chip being one of the only ways to distinguish it from its M4 predecessor. However, after subjecting the new model to extensive testing in our lab and reviewing the Apple M5 MacBook Pro, one thing is clear: it absolutely outperforms competitors in one crucial aspect.

CPU Performance

In TechRadar's internal tests, the MacBook Pro with the M5 chip scored 199 points in the single-core performance test when run through the Cinebench R24 benchmark. This is the highest single-core Cinebench R24 score we've ever seen, making the laptop a formidable force when it comes to CPU-intensive workloads.

For comparison, we also tested last year's Mac mini with the M4 chip using Cinebench R24, and it scored a slower 161 points.

SSD Storage Speed

And it wasn't just the M5 chip that was impressive – its storage drive performance is a qualitative leap over what was seen in the previous model. With the M4 chip, we recorded Blackmagic disk speed test results of 3318.6 MB/s for write speed and 2899.5 MB/s for read speed. Blackmagic Disk Speed Test is an easy-to-use tool to quickly measure and document hard drive performance for high-quality video work, simulating the read and write operations required by professional video software.

In the M5 model, these numbers jumped to 6517.7 MB/s and 6619.7 MB/s respectively. This is an extraordinary increase – almost double the performance – and aligns with the claims made by Apple at the launch of the M5 chip.

Gaming Performance Improvements

There was also a significant improvement in gaming. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider running at 1080p, for example, the M4 chip achieved an average of 36 frames per second. The M5 chip, meanwhile, scored an average of 57 frames per second, which is much more acceptable.

The gaming performance in modern MacBooks means they can claim to be true gaming machines, and these numbers – while not the best gaming benchmarks you'll ever see – are a notable improvement.

Battery Life: A Point Needing Further Evaluation

However, battery may be one area where the M5 chip doesn't quite live up to Apple's own numbers. Initial tests suggest that the MacBook Pro with the M5 chip has significantly less than the 24 hours claimed by Apple (around 18 hours), but we need to conduct more tests to confirm the result.

Real-world performance often falls short of advertised battery life, and this is something we also experienced with the MacBook Pro with the M4 chip.

A Good Sign for the Future

When Apple launched the MacBook Pro with the M5 chip, it made an interesting move: it held back the M5 Pro and M5 Max models for a later date. Rumors suggest they will arrive in early 2026, but for now at least, there's no sign of them.

But regardless of when these chips arrive, our tests of the MacBook Pro with the M5 chip bode well for them. If the base chip in the M5 series has recorded the highest single-core Cinebench score we've seen to date, its high-end versions should be able to take these gains to new heights.

Apple's marketing during the M5 chip launch focused heavily on AI performance, but this may undersell the M5 chip's other gains. Our own tests suggest it's a good option regardless of whether you're interested in AI workloads.

While you will undoubtedly get excellent performance from the MacBook Pro with the M5 chip, if you truly need top-tier performance for your workflow, it might be better to wait until the M5 Pro and M5 Max models are released. When that happens, you might have even stronger options at your disposal.