Although Cyberpunk 2077 is still considered one of the most demanding games, recent tests have shown that the Apple M5 is capable of surprising. In a benchmark by the YouTube channel The Tech Chap, the new MacBook Pro with M5 showed a performance increase of up to 290% compared to the M4 model with ray tracing enabled.
The comparison was not entirely equal. The test involved a MacBook Pro M5 and a MacBook Air M4, which lacks active cooling.
Despite its high speed in everyday tasks, the MacBook Air M4 quickly encounters thermal throttling — a reduction in CPU and GPU frequency to prevent overheating. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro M5, equipped with a fan and an improved cooling system, is able to maintain maximum power for longer.
Performance comparison in Cyberpunk 2077:
| Mode | M5 MacBook Pro | M4 MacBook Air | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Ray Tracing | 58 FPS | 20 FPS | +290% |
| Without Ray Tracing | 75 FPS | 48 FPS | +56.25% |
Although the advantage is mainly due to cooling, the result shows that the M5 provides a noticeable increase in power, especially in games with high graphics load.
In Cyberpunk 2077, the new MacBook Pro consistently maintains around 60 frames per second with ray tracing enabled — something that seemed impossible on macOS just a year ago.
