Today, Apple launched the latest entry in their M-series line of Apple silicon chips, the M5 chip. Here’s how it compares to the M4 chip.
Neural and AI performance
The biggest news with M5 is a huge leap in performance for AI and ML workflows. Like A19 and A19 Pro from the latest iPhone models, M5 features new Neural Accelerators that significantly boost performance in tasks using machine learning or artificial intelligence. Apple gives some examples:
- Time to first token (LLM): 3.6x faster than M4
- Time to enhance video in Topaz Video: 1.8x faster than M3
- Time to render in Blender with ray tracing: 1.7x faster than M3
- Time to enhance speech with AI in Premiere Pro: 2.9x faster than M3
Outside of the new Neural Accelerators, Apple says that M5 features an “improved 16-core Neural Engine”, which should also help with ML and AI tasks.
Memory bandwidth
Also like A19 and A19 Pro from the latest iPhone models, the M5 chip delivers increased memory bandwidth. It offers 153GB/s, a 27.5% improvement over the M4’s 120GB/s. While this can give a speed boost to any intense workflow, it particularly benefits generative AI tasks.
Graphics
M5 offers improvements to graphics as well. Thanks to the new Neural Accelerators, Apple says that M5 has over 4x the peak GPU compute performance when compared to the M4 chip.
M5 also features a 3rd-generation ray tracing engine and “enhanced graphics capabilities”, though Apple does not specify what exactly those capabilities are. They do say that, thanks to both of these new features, M5 can reach “up to 45 percent higher” graphics performance than M4.
Processor
Like previous baseline Apple silicon chips, M5 features a 10-core CPU, with six of those cores being efficiency cores and four of them being performance cores. Also like before, Apple says their new performance core is the “world’s fastest performance core”. Apple also says that the new CPU offers up to 15% faster multithreaded performance than with M4, which aligns with leaked benchmarks.
Other tidbits
On the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5, there is now a 4TB storage option. Previously, 2TB was the highest option. Finally, M5 switches from TSMC’s 2nd-generation 3nm process to their 3rd-generation 3nm process.
The new M5 chip is currently available in the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro.
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