Apple’s M5 Max Shows Promising Gaming Performance in Early Estimates
As the new year begins, anticipation builds around Apple’s upcoming M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra chips expected to launch in the first half of the year. Early estimated benchmarks suggest that the M5 Max could deliver significantly improved gaming performance over its predecessor, the M4 Max, and even surpass NVIDIA’s laptop RTX 5070 Ti GPU in some tests. These findings come from a detailed comparison shared by a Reddit user, offering a glimpse of what the new Apple Silicon might achieve in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Key Performance Highlights and Specifications
The estimated results indicate that the M5 Max could be a substantial upgrade over the M4 Max, with framerates up to 54.5% higher in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and 47% faster in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p ultra settings. Specifically, the M5 Max is projected to reach 125FPS in Cyberpunk 2077, compared to 85FPS on the M4 Max. It also edges out the laptop RTX 5070 Ti by a small margin in this title, achieving 4% higher framerates. Against desktop GPUs, the M5 Max performs better than the RTX 5060 and nearly matches the desktop RTX 4070 in Cyberpunk 2077, trailing by less than 1%.
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the M5 Max hits 51FPS, which is 54.5% faster than the M4 Max’s 33FPS. However, the laptop RTX 5070 Ti holds a slight advantage here, running the game at 53FPS. These figures were compiled using data from Notebookcheck and estimated based on Apple Silicon’s generational performance improvements.
Context and Considerations Around the M5 Max’s Performance
While these numbers are impressive, several details remain unclear. The exact GPU core count of the M5 Max has not been confirmed, and it is unknown whether Apple has increased the number of GPU cores or relied on architectural improvements to boost performance. Additionally, it is uncertain if technologies such as Apple’s MetalFX upscaling, frame generation, or ray tracing were enabled during these tests, all of which could significantly affect gaming performance.
Previous demonstrations, such as Apple’s showcase of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition running at 120FPS on the M4 Max, have suggested the use of upscaling and frame generation rather than native rendering at such high framerates. Without explicit confirmation of these factors, the benchmark estimates should be viewed cautiously. Nevertheless, the M5 Max appears poised to be a powerful contender in the laptop GPU space.
What to Expect Moving Forward
With Apple’s M5 series launch approaching, more concrete details and official benchmarks will likely emerge soon. The M5 Max’s potential to challenge established laptop GPUs like NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 Ti marks a significant step for Apple Silicon in gaming performance. Enthusiasts and professionals alike will be keen to see how these chips perform in real-world scenarios once available. For now, these early estimates provide an exciting preview of Apple’s continued progress in the high-performance computing arena.
For those interested, the Reddit post offering this comparison provides a comprehensive look at the data behind these projections.