Apple launched a trio of new M5 products this week, including the M5 MacBook Pro. But what’s actually changed with the M5 model compared to last year’s M4 MacBook Pro? Not a lot. Here are four differences between the M5 and M4 MacBook Pro.
#1: M5 chip

Comparing M5 and M4 MacBook Pro models, easily the biggest difference is the chip itself.
The M5 MacBook Pro offers a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine—just like the M4 model.
CPU in the M5 is a moderate improvement over the M4. Apple says it offers “up to 20 percent faster multithreaded performance versus M4 for workloads like code compiling, and is perfect for multitasking or speeding through creative applications.”
GPU is the bigger highlight though, as Neural Accelerators in each GPU core offer huge gains for certain workloads, especially AI-dependent GPU tasks:
- up to 3.5x the AI performance
- up to 1.6x faster graphics performance in pro apps
- up to 1.6x higher frame rates in games
The Neural Engine is improved too, but Apple doesn’t offer specific numbers for gains other than saying AI tasks are “faster.”
You can find an in-depth M5 vs. M4 chip comparison here.
#2: Higher memory bandwidth

One important feature of the M5 that deserves a solo mention is higher memory bandwidth.
This is noteworthy because it brings improvement to an area that doesn’t always change—unlike the CPU and GPU.
The M5 MacBook Pro offers 153GB/s of unified memory bandwidth. Last year’s M4 model only goes up to 120GB/s. Thus, the M5 model is an almost 30% improvement.
What difference will this higher bandwidth make? Apple says it “accelerates everything from launching apps to running large language models (LLMs) on device.”
#3: Faster SSD performance

Beyond the M5 chip, there’s another reason to expect faster performance from the new MacBook Pro.
Apple says the SSD performance is “up to 2x faster” than the M4 model.
With the latest storage technology, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 brings faster SSD performance than the previous generation for tasks like importing RAW image files or exporting large videos.
That’s not the only SSD-related change, as Apple has also bumped the max storage on the M5 MacBook Pro.
#4: 4TB storage option

If you’re a fan of the 14-inch MacBook Pro but need more storage space, Apple’s M5 model delivers.
The M5 MacBook Pro offers a 4TB storage option, up from the 2TB max of the M4 model.
You can still get the same 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB models instead, so the new 4TB option is a fourth option rather than replacing any existing SKU.
Apple’s SSD pricing is not for the faint of heart, however. You’ll pay an extra $1,200 to get the 4TB option. That’s $600 more than the 2TB model costs.
M5 MacBook Pro: Not intended for M4 upgrades
Overall, the M5 MacBook Pro is easily the smallest update out of the trio of new M5 products.
The M5 iPad Pro offers a surprising number of upgrades over the M4 model, and the new Vision Pro even has more going for it compared to its M2 predecessor.
Which makes very clear that Apple doesn’t intend this new model for anyone who bought the M4 version last year. The M5 MacBook Pro is more suited for Intel, M1, M2, or maybe M3 owners—not M4.
Do you plan to buy an M5 MacBook Pro, and if so, what are you upgrading from? Let us know in the comments.
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