Apple M5: The Smartest Chip for Your Next Mac (and the Cleanest Break from Intel, M1, M2, M3, and M4)
Apple M5: The Smartest Chip for Your Next Mac
Why the base M5 is the sweet spot (yes—before Pro/Max/Ultra)
When Apple silicon first arrived, it didn’t just “beat Intel.” It rewrote what everyday speed feels like: instant app launches, near-silent operation, and battery life that doesn’t collapse the moment you unplug.
Now the Apple M5 (base chip) takes that same philosophy and pushes it to a new practical peak—especially if your current Mac is:
Any Intel Mac (even late Intel models),
An early Apple-silicon Mac (M1 / M2),
Or a “still good” Mac that now feels slightly behind (M3 / M4).
A leaked/posted Geekbench 6 result for a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 shows 4,298 single-core and 17,795 multi-core—and that matters because single-core is where “snappy” lives, while multi-core is where real throughput (exporting, compiling, multitasking) wins.
Note: This article focuses on M5 (base), not M5 Pro/Max. Those higher tiers can be mentioned for context—but the point here is: base M5 is already a “no-drama” upgrade that feels premium.
Geekbench 6: M5 vs Intel Macs vs M1–M4 (CPU performance)
Below are Geekbench 6 CPU scores pulled from Geekbench’s database pages (averages where available) for popular representative Macs across the transition.
CPU benchmark comparison (Geekbench 6)
Mac / Chip (representative model):
Single-core Multi-core
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) 4,298 17,795
MacBook Air 13-inch (M4, 2025) 3,695 14,727
iMac 24-inch (M3, 2023) 3,037 11,668
MacBook Air (M2, 2022) 2,587 9,669
MacBook Air (M1, Late 2020) 2,347 8,342
MacBook Pro 16-inch (Intel i9, 2019) 1,354 6,256
MacBook Pro 13-inch (Intel, Mid 2020) 1,152 3,983
MacBook Air (Intel, Early 2020) 1,142 2,848
What those numbers mean in plain English
M5 vs Intel: The jump is not incremental—it’s a different era. Even strong Intel laptop configs struggle to reach one-third of M5’s single-core score, and they fall far behind in multi-core as well.
M5 vs M1/M2: This is where the upgrade becomes felt, not just measured. M5’s single-core score is roughly in a different league of responsiveness, and multi-core is dramatically higher.
M5 vs M3/M4: If you live in heavy multitasking, pro creative apps, local AI workflows, or developer workloads, the gap starts showing more often—especially as projects grow.
The stealth upgrade people underestimate: SSD performance and storage behavior
CPU power is the headline. But on modern Macs, SSD performance is the hidden multiplier:
Loading large photo libraries
Scrubbing video timelines
Opening massive Logic sessions
Building Xcode projects
Spinning up VMs/containers
Working with local AI models
And importantly: SSD performance can vary by capacity (how many NAND chips are used), which is why some base-storage models in past generations drew criticism.
SSD read/write speeds: Intel vs M1–M5 (with real test numbers)
Below are reported Blackmagic/AJA-style disk benchmark results from reputable review/testing sources. These are representative test outcomes—your exact speeds can vary by capacity and workload, but the generational direction is clear. The M5 chip uses PCIe 5.0 for its SSD storage, effectively doubling the SSD data transfer capacity. For this data transfer speed reason alone, you should not buy an older M4 or previous Intel or Apple M- series chip Mac.
Storage speed comparison (SSD)
Mac / Chip SSD size referenced Write (MB/s) Read (MB/s)
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) 512GB 6,068 6,323
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) (tested unit) 3,293 2,031
MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) (tested unit) 1,919 2,891
MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) (tested unit) 3,058 3,030
MacBook Air (M1) (tested unit) 2,190 2,675
MacBook Air (Intel, 2020) 256GB (base) ~1,326 ~1,208
The big takeaway
The M5 generation (even base M5) isn’t only about CPU scores. It’s also showing workstation-class SSD behavior in at least some configurations—numbers north of 6,000 MB/s in independent testing have been reported for M5 MacBook Pro storage.
That’s the kind of upgrade that changes how “big” projects feel day to day.
Why M5 beats Intel Macs in the ways that matter most
1) It wins on responsiveness, not just raw power
Intel Macs can still browse the web and run Office. But they can’t match the “always-ready” feel that comes from massive single-core performance and modern system-on-chip design. The Geekbench comparison is blunt: M5 single-core is several multiples higher than common Intel Mac laptops.
2) It wins on sustained real-world throughput
Multi-core is where Intel laptops often heat-soak and throttle, especially thin models. M5’s 10-core configuration (4 performance + 6 efficiency) posts strong multi-core throughput in the Geekbench result shown.
3) It modernizes your entire platform
Even if you don’t care about benchmarks, moving to M5 typically means:
Newer media engines for modern codecs (workflow acceleration)
Better efficiency behavior under load
Newer macOS support runway
(Exact features vary by model, but the platform leap is real.)
Why M5 is the clean upgrade over M1, M2, M3, and even M4
If you’re on M1
M1 was a revolution. But M5 is a new class of responsiveness and throughput compared with M1 averages shown in Geekbench’s database.
If you’re on M2
M2 improved—but storage configuration controversies (especially base capacities) made some buyers cautious. Even when SSD speed doesn’t affect everyone equally, the principle is simple: you want the fast path by default.
If you’re on M3
M3 is excellent, but M5’s posted single-core and multi-core scores suggest another meaningful step forward—especially for pro apps and heavy multitasking.
If you’re on M4
M4 is strong—particularly in thin-and-light Macs. But M5’s CPU and SSD results indicate a generation that can feel like a “Pro machine” even before you buy Pro/Max tiers.
Should you consider M5 Pro or M5 Max?
Yes—if your work routinely involves:
Large video timelines, heavy effects, multicam edits
Serious 3D workflows
Large codebases with constant builds
Local AI workloads where memory bandwidth and GPU cores matter
But here’s the key point:
Base M5 is already a “buy once, relax for years” chip for the majority of Mac buyers who want the best blend of performance, efficiency, and platform longevity.
Buying guidance: how to spec an M5 Mac wisely
Don’t underbuy storage if you keep large libraries or do creative work. SSD capacity can influence both space and performance behavior.
Prioritize RAM if you multitask heavily, run VMs, or do local AI tasks.
If you’re coming from Intel: almost any M5 Mac will feel like you jumped multiple generations at once.
FAQ
Is the base M5 chip worth it over an Intel Mac?
Yes. The Geekbench 6 comparison shows M5 dramatically ahead in both single-core and multi-core performance versus common Intel Mac laptops.
Is M5 worth upgrading to from M1 or M2?
For many users, yes—especially if you want faster multitasking, heavier creative capability, and a longer support runway. M5’s posted Geekbench score is far beyond M1/M2 averages shown in Geekbench’s Mac database pages.
Does SSD speed matter on Macs?
It can—particularly for large projects, pro apps, and any workflow involving big assets or frequent swapping. M5 MacBook Pro SSD testing has been reported above 6,000 MB/s read/write in at least one comparison.
Why do some base-storage Macs benchmark slower?
Some generations used fewer NAND chips on entry capacities, reducing parallelism and lowering peak sequential performance in certain benchmarks.
Conclusion: M5 is the “best next Mac” chip because it upgrades everything at once
The Apple M5 base chip isn’t just a little faster. It’s the kind of upgrade that makes your Mac feel effortless again:
Top-tier responsiveness (single-core strength)
Serious throughput for real work (multi-core)
Storage performance that can eliminate bottlenecks in modern workflows
If you’re buying your next Mac and you want the most future-proof, confidence-building choice in the mainstream Apple-silicon lineup, base M5 is the chip to target—and if you need even more headroom, M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra are waiting above it.
