Apple's M5 Max processor outperforms rivals by a huge margin in single-thread workloads, beating all of them including the 96-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9995WX in multi-thread workloads in Geekbench 6.The first test of the 18-core M5 Max chip showed a single-core CPU score of 4,268 and a multi-core CPU score of 29,233.
This result marks a significant moment for Apple's chip design ambitions.The M5 Max with an 18-core CPU achieved a score of 29,233 for multi-core CPU performance, which tops the 27,726 score achieved by the Mac Studio's M3 Ultra chip with a 32-core CPU. The comparison is striking because Apple is delivering this performance in a laptop form factor whilst the M3 Ultra powers a stationary desktop system. Yet the limitation of Geekbench results demands candid acknowledgement.
The performance differential reveals something worth unpacking:Geekbench 6 multi-thread benchmark is a brief, bursty test intended to mimic common consumer tasks such as archive compression, PDF processing, and image editing. Its short runtime and bursty nature prevent it from fully stressing ultra-high-core-count processors like the Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9995WX. Furthermore, many of the suite's multi-threaded subtests scale efficiently only to roughly 8 to 32 threads, which leaves much of such CPUs' parallel capacity idle, but creates an almost perfect environment for Apple's CPUs that feature a relatively modest number of cores.
This matters because Apple's achievement, whilst genuine, reflects the benchmark's design as much as it does the silicon's capabilities.While most Threadripper Pro 9995WX CPUs score around 26,000 GB6 points in multi-thread workloads, there is one example when this processor hits 30,170 points, which is a bit ahead of M5 Max's 29,644 points. The variance suggests benchmark variability.
On graphics performance, the picture is more measured.With a Metal score of 232,718, the M5 Max ranks second on Geekbench's Metal benchmark, behind the 32-core CPU and 80-core GPU of the M3 Ultra in the 2025 Mac Studio. This reflects Apple's deliberate strategy:M5 Pro and M5 Max extend Apple's vertical integration strategy by scaling up Apple Silicon without discrete GPUs. For creative professionals who routinely rely on high-end graphics accelerators, the integrated M5 Max GPU remains insufficient.
What does matter operationally is memory bandwidth.The M5 Max supports up to 128 GB of unified memory with bandwidth of 614 GB/s for the 40-core GPU configuration.M5 Max increases that ceiling to 128GB of unified memory and up to 614GB per second of bandwidth. Higher bandwidth is essential for tasks like large language models, high-resolution video editing, and complex 3D scenes. In those workflows, moving data quickly can matter as much as adding more cores. This architectural shift targets real workload constraints, not synthetic test optimisation.
All in all, the M5 Max offers up to 15% faster CPU performance and up to 20% faster GPU performance compared to the M4 Max, in line with Apple's advertised figures.All three variants are manufactured on TSMC's third-generation 3-nanometer process, which delivers genuine power efficiency advantages in practical use.
The centre-ground assessment: Geekbench results are useful for relative comparison within similar form factors and workload profiles, but they are not gospel.Geekbench 6 is a synthetic benchmark that reflects the potential of the tested hardware but may not reflect its performance in real-world applications. Apple's M5 Max is a capable processor that handles intensive multithreaded tasks efficiently within a laptop envelope. For specific workloads—AI inference, batch processing, video transcoding—the performance is demonstrably strong. For discrete GPU workloads, users still need alternatives. The question for buyers is not whether the M5 Max wins abstract benchmarks, but whether its strengths match their actual work.