Like clockwork, Apple introduced a new M-series chip in its updated versions iPad Pro, “Apple’s M5 chip” MacBook Pro And for the first time, Apple Vision Pro. The new M5 chip has a lot in common M4 chip Apple introduced 2024, but the biggest seems to be the focus on improving graphics and AI performance.
The M5 chip is built using a new third-generation 3nm process, with an updated 10-core GPU architecture across all versions that offers four times the M4’s peak GPU compute performance, while carrying support for things like hardware-accelerated ray tracing, according to Apple. The M5 also has a 10-core CPU, the same as the M4, with up to six efficiency and four performance cores.
M5 chip configuration for iPad Pro.
(apple)
That is unless you’re buying an M5 iPad Pro. The 1TB and 2TB models of the Pro have a 10-core CPU and GPU, but if you opt for the smaller storage of 256GB or 512GB, you get a nine-core CPU with six efficiency cores and three performance cores. Apple says the 10-core CPU offers “up to 15 percent faster multithreaded performance” than the M4 chip, though it’s not clear if that’s due to CPU or memory improvements. That’s because the new chip offers improved memory bandwidth of 153GB/s from the M4’s starting 120GB/s bandwidth, albeit less than what you can get. M4 Pro or M4 Max. Apple will likely release M5 versions of both chips next year, but it’s worth knowing what you’re missing if you opt for the M5 now.
The performance gains Apple was able to get out of its new GPU and improved memory bandwidth seem to be the biggest changes users will notice from the M5. This includes “up to 30 percent faster” graphics performance compared to the M4 and “up to 45 percent graphics improvement in apps using ray tracing.” Apple introduced the M4 with a focus on dynamic caching and ray tracing, and it seems the M5 makes both graphical processes more efficient. The gains are apparently even more noticeable on the M5 Vision Pro, where the headset can achieve a 120Hz refresh rate, up from the 100Hz maximum Apple previously guaranteed, and is now able to render “10 percent more pixels”.
AI performance is also improved, though not thanks to the M5’s 16-core neural engine, which appears to be the same neural engine used in the M4. Instead, Apple is taking a new approach to AI processing by including dedicated “neural accelerators” in each core of its GPUs. According to Apple, this extra help leads to faster performance when devices use Apple Intelligence skills, or AI-powered features, when using Vision Pro’s ability to create personas.
Apple’s new M5 devices will require more in-depth testing and benchmarking to accurately capture how the M5 chip changes things, especially when it comes to general CPU performance. For now, though, Apple’s chips continue to be more graphically powerful, which is good for anyone using MacBooks and iPads for creative work, AI, or gaming.