
Cyberpunk 2077 has firmly established itself as one of the most demanding video games of its time, notably setting new standards in ray tracing technology. This feature can challenge even the most robust gaming setups, creating a fascinating case for testing newer hardware capabilities, such as Apple’s latest M5 chip. We were intrigued to discover that this remarkable chip can deliver impressive framerates while running Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing activated.
What’s even more astonishing is the reported 290 percent performance improvement of the M5 over its predecessor, the M4. However, the testing process raises some eyebrows, as a comparison was made with the M4 MacBook Air, rather than the more apt M4 MacBook Pro. This discrepancy in benchmarks necessitates a closer examination of the results.
M4 MacBook Air’s Thermal Throttling vs. M5 MacBook Pro’s Advantage
Tom from The Tech Chap conducted a series of benchmarks on the newly released 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, focusing heavily on titles like Cyberpunk 2077. However, rather than compare the M5 against its logical predecessor, the M4 MacBook Pro, he opted for the M4 MacBook Air. Although the MacBook Air is generally a capable device for various tasks, it is critically limited by its lack of an active cooling system, relying instead on a passive heatsink.
This passive cooling solution, while effective for most everyday activities, struggles under the pressure of demanding games. This is likely a factor in the significant performance disparity observed: the M5 MacBook Pro, equipped with active cooling, outperforms the M4 MacBook Air by a staggering 290 percent in frames per second (FPS) with ray tracing turned on. In contrast, when ray tracing is disabled, the M5 is still considerably faster—achieving 75 FPS compared to the M4’s 48 FPS, translating to a 56.25 percent increase.
Performance Insights with Ray Tracing Enabled
- M5 FPS: 58
- M4 FPS: 20
- Conclusion: M5 is 290 percent faster than M4
Performance Insights without Ray Tracing
- M5 FPS: 75
- M4 FPS: 48
- Conclusion: M5 is 56.25 percent faster than M4
This comparison was not entirely fair, presenting a scenario where the differences in cooling capabilities were pivotal. If your primary interest lies in the gaming performance benefits of a well-cooled M5, your expectations have been justly met. Beyond playing Cyberpunk 2077 at impressive framerates, the M5 MacBook Pro proves itself as a robust machine capable of handling demanding tasks. Currently, you can purchase the base model with a striking Space Black finish on Amazon for $1, 584, allowing you to dive into AAA gaming sessions or tackle resource-intensive workloads.
If you seek a Mac for purposes beyond gaming, the previous-generation models may offer a more economical option while still providing excellent performance for day-to-day tasks.
Source: The Tech Chap
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