GoKawiilIt's relatively simple to choose a laptop model to buy from Apple, whether your biggest constraint is budget (that's what the MacBook Neo is for), weight (MacBook Air) or you need the MacBook Pro's power and connections. Once you've narrowed it down that far, though, figuring out how to configure it can become baffling.
As far as I can tell, there are over 50 combinations of viable options for just CPUs, memory and storage across both the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, 33 for the 14-inch and 21 for the 16-inch. And your buying decision may be complicated by constraints imposed by the SoC design, notably with respect to memory, as well as the typical configuration limitations, like having to bump up a processor class from what you might otherwise need -- or want to pay for -- if you want 8TB of storage or 64GB of memory.
Watch this: New MacBooks Arrive With M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips 04:17
Both sizes have the same design and generally share the same features -- the screen, connections, wireless -- but the different processors support different generations of some of the features in addition to the expected performance differences. More specifically, only the 14-inch model has M5 configuration options, in addition to the M5 Pro and M5 Max, and the M5 is a generation behind the other two for its wireless and Thunderbolt. Those can be important: In my experience, Wi-Fi 7 is a lot more stable than 6E when connecting to 6GHz channels, and Thunderbolt 5 supports DisplayPort 2.1 as well as higher data transfer speeds compared to the earlier generation.
Available options
M5 M5 Pro M5 Max Used in MacBook Pro 14 ($1,699 - $2,699) MacBook Pro 14 ($2,199 - $3,799), MacBook Pro 16 ($2,699 - $4,299) MacBook Pro 14 ($3,599-$6,899), MacBook Pro 16 ($3,899 - $7,199) Chip configurations (CPU/GPU cores) 10/10 15/16 or 18/20 (+$200) 18/32 or 18/40 (+$300) Memory options 16GB, 24GB (+$200), 32GB (+400) 24GB, 48GB (+400), 64GB (18C only, +$600) 32C GPU 36GB (no upgrade options); 40C GPU 48GB, 64GB (+$200), 128GB (+$1,000) Storage options 1TB, 2TB (+$400), 4TB (+$1,000) 1TB, 2TB (+$400), 4TB (+$1,000) 2TB, 4TB (+$600), 8TB (+$1,800) Ports 3 x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC, 3.5mm audio 3 x Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SDXC, 3.5mm audio 3 x Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SDXC, 3.5mm audio Wireless Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 External displays supported 2 3 4 Released Late 2025 Early 2026 Early 2026
There are a couple of other things to consider when pricing your system. First, the $150 nano-texture option for the display, which makes it matte and nonreflective, is worth the extra money if reflections are an issue in your environment. I find it easier on the eyes. Second, they all come with different capacity power adapters -- 70W for the M5 and the M5 Pro (96W optional) and 96W for the M5 Max -- but the fast charge requires the 96W if that's your concern, a $20 upgrade if it's not included.
Matching needs to specs can be difficult, not just because you need to know how applications use the various components (and guess which applications you'll be using three years from now), but because performance is all about balance. For example, when we refer to an application or task as "GPU-intensive," we mean most of the work is performed by the GPU -- but that doesn't necessarily mean the GPU is, or should be, your primary concern.
Sample recommended configurations
General productivity and creative Pro creative Pro high-res creative Generative AI intensive Good MacBook Pro 14, M5, 16GB, 1TB MacBook Pro 16, M5 Pro 20C, 48GB, 2TB MacBook Pro 16, M5 Max 32C, 36GB, 4TB MacBook Pro 14, M5 Max 32C, 36GB, 2TB Better MacBook Pro 14, M5, 32GB, 1TB MacBook Pro 16, M5 Pro 20C, 64GB, 4TB MacBook Pro 16, M5 Max 40C, 64GB, 4TB MacBook Pro 14 or 16, M5 Max 40C, 64GB, 2TB Best MacBook Pro 14, M5 Pro 15C, 48GB, 1TB MacBook Pro 16, M5 Max 40C, 128GB, 4TB MacBook Pro 16, M5 Max 40C, 128GB, 8TB MacBook Pro 14 or 16, M5 Max 40C, 128GB, 4TB
... continue reading