Stop! Should you upgrade your M1 Max Apple Mac to the M5? GPU and memory bandwidth data reveal the surprising answer

• M1 Max still delivers higher GPU power and memory bandwidth than the M5
• M5 focuses on efficiency AI performance and power savings over raw throughput
• Upgrade choice depends on workload battery priorities and creative needs

Owners of Mac Studio and MacBook Pro systems running on Apple’s M1 Max processor might be pondering the question all power users eventually ask themselves – does their machine still cut it, or is it time to move on to a new device?

Apple’s shift from the high-performance M1 Max - which was launched in October 2021 alongside the M1 Pro chip - to the efficiency-oriented M5 that rolled out last week, shows just how much things have changed in just a few years.

On paper, the M5 offers a modern design and better power efficiency, but its hardware targets a very different goal, and its one that not all Mac owners ...