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Over the past five years, Apple has been repeatedly praised for its M-series chips. From the first M1 processor, which was ridiculously fast while still very power efficient, Apple has greatly improved its chips over each generation while also expanding them to new Pro, Max, and Ultra models. With the latest Apple M5 chip with next-gen AI graphics, Apple delivers a major leap in GPU and SSD performance. The new 10-core GPU includes Neural Accelerators in each core, while the upgraded SSD offers double the read and write speeds of the previous generation.
In fact, even those with an M4 MacBook can experience the differences in graphics performance compared to the new model or notice faster speeds when transferring large amounts of data. While the internals are getting bumped every year, it seems that the design of the entry-level MacBook Pro is starting to show its age, as the M5 chip appears to be more powerful than what the chassis can actually handle. In tests conducted by YouTuber Vadim Yuryev of Max Tech, he noticed that the M5 Mac gets hotter than its predecessor when performing demanding tasks.
The M5 MacBook Pro might have a fan problem
Vadim carried out a comprehensive comparison between the M4 and M5 MacBook Pro models. During his Cinebench 3D rendering test, the M5 started to throttle due to higher temperatures. The issue here is that the base model MacBook Pro has only a single fan, while the Pro and Max chip options feature two. Owing to that, the M5 chip runs slightly warmer than the M4 — thus compromising performance in some tasks. The YouTuber suggests Apple add a second fan to the base-model MacBook Pro.
That way, the processor would offer even better performance as the computer would be able to dissipate heat better. Based on these findings, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that once Apple unveils the M5 MacBook Air, we may start seeing similar issues, as the MacBook has a fanless design. With Apple rumored to introduce a redesigned MacBook Pro with a touchscreen OLED display in late 2026, the company might give the base-model M6 generation MacBook Pro a second fan, so that it can handle more horsepower sustainably without throttling.
