Apple has yet to revamp the cooling solution of its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, relying on a single heatpipe and two fans to achieve what is downright impossible: keeping temperatures low. This approach would explain why the M4 Max can get uncontrollably hot, reaching thermals of 110 degrees Celsius when stressed hard. Fortunately, since moving to the Fusion Architecture, Apple has somewhat addressed this problem with the M5 Max, but that doesn’t mean the latter doesn’t get toasty.
Despite the temperature improvement as a result of improving the M5 Max’s packaging technology, it can cross 100 degrees Celsius when pushed hard
To test the limits of the M5 Max and M4 Max, YouTuber Matt Talks Tech fired up the Cinebench multi-core test to see how hot both chipsets can run. The older Apple Silicon sports a 16-core CPU with 12 performance and four efficiency cores, whereas the M5 Max is equipped with 18 cores, of which six are super cores, and the remaining 12 are performance.
Now, keep in mind that the new ‘performance’ cores are running at a higher frequency than the M4 Max’s efficiency cores, but even then, the M5 Max runs cooler and scores higher than its immediate predecessor. The YouTube channel also decided to see what the surface temperatures were, and unsurprisingly, the newer 16-inch MacBook Pro ran cooler.
M4 Max
- Temperature reported by sensors – 113 degrees Celsius (235.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Surface temperature – 48.7 degrees Celsius (119.7 degrees Fahrenheit)
M5 Max
- Temperature reported by sensors – 105 degrees Celsius (221 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Surface temperature – 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
The end result is that while the M5 Max can still operate above the boiling point of water, it manages to run 8 degrees Celsius cooler than the M4 Max. Looking at these differences, it is clear that, while Apple Silicon is thoroughly efficient, there’s little the company can do about its high temperatures unless it introduces a revamped cooling solution.
The M6 iPad Pro has been reported to transition to a vapor chamber, but there’s no word on when the same treatment will branch out to Apple’s portable Macs. Hopefully, the redesigned OLED M6 MacBook Pro family will also sport a cooling upgrade.
News Source: Matt Talks Tech
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