Apple M5 Max Could Challenge Gaming Laptop GPUs Like RTX 5070 Ti, Estimates Suggest

Apple M5 Max Could Challenge Gaming Laptop GPUs Like RTX 5070 Ti, Estimates Suggest

Apple’s upcoming M5 Max chipset may deliver performance levels that rival — and in some cases surpass — dedicated GPUs found in modern gaming laptops, according to a new estimated benchmark comparison shared online.

With Apple expected to launch the M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra chips in the first half of the year, interest is growing around how far Apple Silicon can push gaming performance. Early indicators suggest the M5 Max could significantly outperform the M4 Max and even edge past NVIDIA’s laptop RTX 5070 Ti in select gaming scenarios.

Estimated Benchmarks Show Major Gains Over M4 Max

The comparison, shared by a Reddit user known as Cheap-Ability9453, estimates gaming performance using data from Notebookcheck and historical Apple Silicon generation-to-generation improvements. Two demanding titles — Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed Shadows — were evaluated at 1080p resolution with ultra settings, a common testing baseline for gaming laptop benchmarks.

According to the estimates, the M5 Max achieves:

125 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077, around 47% faster than the M4 Max

51 FPS in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, delivering a 54.5% uplift over the M4 Max

These figures position the M5 Max slightly ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti laptop GPU in Cyberpunk 2077, while trailing narrowly in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In some cases, the M5 Max appears close to desktop-class GPUs like the RTX 4070, which is notable for a mobile SoC.

Why This Matters for Gaming Laptops

If these estimates hold up, Apple’s M5 Max could reshape expectations for gaming on thin-and-light systems, challenging the idea that a dedicated gaming laptop GPU is always required for high-performance gaming.

Apple is expected to retain a similar core configuration to the M4 Max, but architectural refinements and potential GPU optimizations could significantly improve real-world performance. This would make future MacBook Pro models more competitive with Windows-based gaming laptops, especially in terms of efficiency and thermal performance.

Important Caveats and Missing Details

Despite the impressive projections, several unknowns remain. The estimated comparison does not confirm:

The exact GPU core count of the M5 Max

Whether MetalFX upscaling or frame generation was enabled

If ray tracing or path tracing was active in both games

Apple has previously demonstrated high frame rates using upscaling technologies, meaning raw performance alone may not tell the full story.

Final Thoughts

While the M5 Max shows strong potential to compete with gaming laptop GPUs like the RTX 5070 Ti, these figures remain estimates, not official benchmarks. Until Apple releases full specifications and independent testing becomes available, gamers should treat the data cautiously.

Still, the numbers suggest Apple Silicon is rapidly closing the gap with traditional gaming laptop hardware.

Source: Reddit