M5 Max vs M1 Max: Apple’s New Laptops 🤯

Check out tomtoc's laptop sleeves here:
Essence A35: https://amzn.to/47kDeeV
Essence A34: https://amzn.to/4bHGJ0h

Check out Apple's Newest MacBook Pro here:
https://amzn.to/4t1VfXz

*Timestamps:*
0:00 Intro
00:57 Specs of both Macbook Pros
01:47 Compressor Render
02:35 Battery used in Compressor Render
03:14 Gyroflow Stabilization Test
04:03 100% CPU and GPU Combined Load and analysis
06:04 Disk Speed Test
06:14 Boot Speed Test
06:28 Nano-Texture vs Glossy Screen
06:53 Final Cut Pro Magic Mask (AI rotoscoping)
07:26 Final Cut Pro Timeline Performance differences
07:58 Final Cut Pro Large Complex Project Export
09:49 tomtoc Laptop Sleeves to protect your new MacBook
11:30 Custom Fan Speed Curve Software - TG Pro (https://tg-pro.macupdate.com/)
11:59 M5 Max worse performance with Apple Stock Fan Curve
12:28 Solar Bay Extreme (Ray tracing GPU benchmark)
13:24 Steel Nomad (GPU Benchmark, No Raytracing)
13:56 Gaming Tests
14:07 Dota 2
14:55 Cyberpunk
15:52 Cyberpunk Battery Drain Test
17:04 CineBench and Wattage analysis

The Apple M5 Max is unbelievably fast… but is it actually worth upgrading from the M1 Max? 🤔
In this video I put the M5 Max vs M1 Max head-to-head in real-world professional workloads to see what the performance difference actually looks like. This isn’t just another Geekbench comparison — I tested video editing, GPU rendering, CPU rendering, AI masking, gaming, disk speeds, boot times, performance per watt, and more.
The results honestly surprised me.
In some cases the M5 Max was up to 50x faster than the M1 Max — especially in HEVC encoding. But the new chip also pulled as much as 175W during testing, which raises some interesting questions about power consumption, thermal limits, and battery life.
If you're trying to decide whether to upgrade from an M1 Max MacBook Pro to the M5 Max, this video should help you figure out if the performance gains are actually worth the cost.
I spent several days running tests and building a real-world performance comparison, so if you enjoy deep-dive benchmarks like this, a like and subscribe really helps the channel.
What I Tested
• HEVC video encoding performance
• GPU rendering benchmarks
• CPU rendering workloads
• AI masking in Final Cut Pro
• Real-world video editing timelines
• Gaming performance (Dota 2 & Cyberpunk)
• Battery drain under heavy load
• Disk speed tests
• Boot speed comparisons
• Performance per watt
• 3DMark GPU benchmarks
• Cinebench CPU benchmarks
Key Results
• HEVC Encoding: M5 Max was 50x faster
• GPU Performance: Up to 2.4x faster in raw GPU workloads
• Ray Tracing: Up to 10x faster thanks to hardware acceleration
• Video Editing: Over 2x faster renders in complex projects
• Power Draw: Peaks up to 175W under load
But despite all that performance… I ended up making a surprising upgrade decision.
Watch to the end to see whether I’m keeping the M5 Max or sticking with my M1 Max after 5 years of daily use.