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Apple M5 Max (18-core)
Apple's new Fusion Architecture chip bonds two 3nm dies to field an 18-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, delivering faster multithreaded performance and up to 614GB/s of memory bandwidth for the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio.
Pros
- 18-core CPU with class-leading single-thread performance
- Up to 40-core GPU with a Neural Accelerator built into every core for AI workloads
- Up to 128GB of unified memory with up to 614GB/s of bandwidth
- Dedicated Thunderbolt 5 controller for each port
- Doubled media engine speeds up ProRes encode and decode
Cons
- Only available in expensive MacBook Pro and Mac Studio configurations
- Memory and storage are fixed at purchase with no user upgrades
- No discrete GPU option for workloads that need one
Excellent
Computed from specs & benchmarks via our public methodology.
Full specifications
Everything we track for the Apple M5 Max (18-core)
General
- Announced
- 2026
- Process
- 3 nm
Cores & Clocks
- Cores
- 18
- Performance cores
- 6
- Efficiency cores
- 12
- Threads
- 18
- Boost clock
- 4.6 GHz
- L3 cache
- 24 MB
Integrated GPU
- iGPU
- Apple 40-core GPU
Memory
- Memory support
- LPDDR5X-9600
- Max memory
- 128 GB
Benchmarks
- Geekbench 6 (single)
- 4,322Top 1%
- Geekbench 6 (multi)
- 29,256Top 1%
- PassMark
- 57,677Top 2%
- PassMark (single thread)
- 5,964Top 1%
Devices with the Apple M5 Max (18-core)
4 devices in our catalog use this chip
Quick answers
Is the Apple M5 Max (18-core) good in 2026?
The Apple M5 Max (18-core) earns an Inno Score of 89/100 (“Excellent”) based on its specs and benchmark results. Apple's new Fusion Architecture chip bonds two 3nm dies to field an 18-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, delivering faster multithreaded performance and up to 614GB/s of memory bandwidth for the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio.
Does the Apple M5 Max (18-core) count as "Core i7 or equivalent"?
Its PassMark CPU Mark average is 57,677 (cpubenchmark.net, retrieved Sep 26–Oct 8, 2026), which puts it in Tier A of our CPU tier checker: current Core i7 H / Core Ultra 7 / Ryzen 7 class and above. It is an Arm-based chip, so a requirement that asks specifically for an Intel or AMD (x86-64) processor excludes it. Requirement pages word this differently, so check the exact wording with your department.
Which devices use the Apple M5 Max (18-core)?
4 devices in our catalog use the Apple M5 Max (18-core): Apple MacBook Pro 14 PROLED (M5 Max), Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5 Max), Apple MacBook Pro 16 PROLED (M5 Max), Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5 Max).
What are the key specs of the Apple M5 Max (18-core)?
Cores: 18 · Threads: 18 · Boost clock: 4.6 GHz
What are the closest alternatives to the Apple M5 Max (18-core)?
Its closest rivals on InnoReviews are Apple M5 Pro (18-core), Apple M4 Max (16-core), Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme — open the comparison pages for a spec-by-spec breakdown.
