Apple's new M5 MacBook Pro can't stay cool with single fan: M5 chip hits crazy 99C under load

Apple's new M5-powered MacBook Pro has a single fan that can't stop thermal throttling, as the new M5 processor runs at a toasty 99C under load.

Apple's new M5 MacBook Pro can't stay cool with single fan: M5 chip hits crazy 99C under load
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Gaming Editor
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TL;DR: Apple's new M5 MacBook Pro experiences severe overheating, reaching 99°C under load due to its single-fan cooling system, similar to the M4 model. Despite higher clock speeds and improved performance from the advanced 3nm M5 chip, thermal management remains a challenge, with Apple planning enhanced cooling for M5 Pro and Max versions.

Apple's new M5 MacBook Pro laptop is severely overheating in new tests, with the new M5-powered MacBook Pro only cooled by a single fan, the M5 chip is hitting 99C under load.

Apple's new M5 MacBook Pro can't stay cool with single fan: M5 chip hits crazy 99C under load 69
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This isn't out of nowhere as Apple's previous-gen M4 MacBook Pro can easily pass 100C+ under loads, but the new M5 MacBook Pro has the same thermal solution as its predecessor. In a new video, YouTuber Max Tech takes a deeper look at both the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro and the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro, with some rather surprising results.

While running Cinebench 2024, Max Tech discovered that the thermal solution inside of the new Apple M5-powered MacBook Pro couldn't keep the M5 cool enough. However, the M5 version of the MacBook Pro runs cooler than the M4 version of the MacBook Pro, but we're talking 1-2C which is really nothing at the end of the day.

Apple's new M5 chip is fabbed on TSMC's new third-gen 3nm (N3P) process node, while the M4 was fabbed on TSMC's second-gen 3nm (N3E). The new M5 has the same CPU + GPU core count, but has increased clock speeds across the board, with faster CPU, GPU, ray tracing, memory bandwidth, and Neural Engine (for AI workloads) performance.

So, while the new M5 MacBook Pro runs at 99C under load... it has oodles more performance over the M4 MacBook Pro across the board, even in gaming. Apple will reportedly use a higher-end thermal solution for its M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the MacBook Pro, with a dual-fan design thrashing the single-fan design on its current 14-inch MacBook Pro.

M4 temperatures when running Cinebench 2024 multi-core

  • Core average - 100.9C
  • Core max - 114C
  • Core minimum - 94C
  • Package power - 18.4W

M5 temperatures when running Cinebench 2024 multi-core

  • Core average - 98.95C
  • Core max - 99C
  • Core minimum - 99C
  • Package power - 21.81W