Between the M4 and M5, the M4 comes out ahead in cinebench r23 (multi), while the M5 wins on l3 cache and boost clock. Overall, the M4 scores 45.9 and the M5 scores 46 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (45.9 vs 46). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the M4 if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. The biggest gaps in its favor are cinebench r23 (multi).
Pick the M5 if you care most about l3 cache and boost clock. Its strongest claims are l3 cache, boost clock.
Both ship with comparable cores, tdp, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Apple - M4 wins
- ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 7.69% more. 16800 vs 15600.
Why Apple - M5 wins
- ▲L3 cache — 25.00% more. 20 MB vs 16 MB.
- ▲Boost clock — 4.55% more. 4.6 GHz vs 4.4 GHz.
Spec comparison
Cores
| Spec | Apple - M4 | Apple - M5 |
|---|---|---|
| Coresⓘ | 10 | 10 |
| Threadsⓘ | 10 | 10 |
| Base clockⓘ | 0 GHz | 0 GHz |
| Boost clockⓘ | 4.4 GHz | 4.6 GHzlead |
| L3 cacheⓘ | 16 MB | 20 MBlead |
Platform
| Spec | Apple - M4 | Apple - M5 |
|---|---|---|
| Socketⓘ | Soldered | Soldered |
| TDPⓘ | 22 W | 22 W |
| Integrated graphicsⓘ | true | true |
| DDR5ⓘ | true | true |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple - M4 | Apple - M5 |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ | 16800lead | 15600 |
| Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ | 2110 | 2150lead |
Frequently asked
Spec-level deep dives
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