Mac Gaming Takes an Unexpected Turn With the M5 Max MacBook Pro
Mac Gaming Takes an Unexpected Turn With the M5 Max MacBook Pro
https://www.techeblog.com/apple-macbook-pro-m5-max-windows-gaming-test/
Publish Date: 2026-03-28 16:44:00
Source Domain: www.techeblog.com
When Apple dropped the M5 Max into the latest MacBook Pro, the obvious question was how far the chip could be pushed beyond the usual creative and productivity workloads. Andrew Tsai decided to find out, loading up 20 Windows games and running them through the CrossOver translation layer. The results were surprising to say the least, with the MacBook delivering solid frame rates in demanding titles that were never designed with Apple silicon in mind.
CrossOver handles the translation work, converting Windows game instructions into something macOS can process and swapping DirectX calls for Metal, with MetalFX upscaling available to sharpen visuals without hitting performance. Tsai ran everything on a fully loaded MacBook Pro with the 40 core GPU version of the M5 Max, 48GB of memory, and 18 CPU cores. Most games were tested at 1440p with a handful pushed to 4K, adjusting settings throughout to keep frame rates as smooth as possible.
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DOOM from 2016 opened the session by running at a locked 60 frames per second in 4K on ultra settings, helped along by a MoltenVK tweak that Tsai found works particularly well on the M5 series. Wolfenstein Youngblood matched that result at 4K with…
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