Apple
Apple M4 Max
16C CPU · 40C GPU · 16-core Neural Engine
97
/ 100
From $1,299
VS
Apple M4 Max wins by 3
Apple
Apple M5
10C CPU · 10C GPU · 50 TOPS NPU
94
/ 100
From $1,299
Specdex verdict
Apple M4 Max takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Apple M4 Max lands at 97 and Apple M5 at 94. That puts Apple M4 Max ahead by 3 points — a narrow margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Apple M4 Max if…
- ✓Industry-best perf-per-watt
- ✓128 GB unified memory option
- ✓Hardware ray-tracing
Pick Apple M5 if…
- ✓Industry-leading perf-per-watt
- ✓Neural Engine 5th-gen (50 TOPS)
- ✓Hardware ray tracing v2
Score breakdown
Apple M4 Max
97 single 98
multi 96
gaming 82
efficiency 100
Apple M5
94 single 100
multi 90
gaming 78
efficiency 100
Specs side-by-side
Spec
Apple M4 Max
Apple M5
Cores
16 (12P+4E)
10 (4P+6E)
Threads
16
—
Memory bandwidth
546 GB/s
150 GB/s
Neural engine
16-core, 38 TOPS
16-core, 50 TOPS
Process
TSMC N3E
TSMC N3P
Max memory
128 GB unified
—
Release year
—
2025
Apple M4 Max
Pros
- +Industry-best perf-per-watt
- +128 GB unified memory option
- +Hardware ray-tracing
Cons
- −Apple ecosystem lock-in
- −Not user-replaceable
- −Limited Windows gaming
Apple M5
Pros
- +Industry-leading perf-per-watt
- +Neural Engine 5th-gen (50 TOPS)
- +Hardware ray tracing v2
Cons
- −Apple-ecosystem only
- −Base tier starts at 16 GB
- −Windows via Parallels only
FAQ: Apple M4 Max vs Apple M5
Which is better, Apple M4 Max or Apple M5? +
Apple M4 Max scores 97 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 3. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Apple M4 Max worth the price? +
At $1,299, Apple M4 Max delivers a Specdex score of 97 — strongest in efficiency.
Is Apple M5 worth the price? +
At $1,299, Apple M5 delivers a Specdex score of 94 — strongest in single.
Does Apple M4 Max or Apple M5 last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.