The latest Apple M5 processor is showing impressive gaming muscle, especially in the new open-world action RPG "Where Winds Meet". Although it keeps the same CPU and GPU core counts as its predecessor, the M4, the silicon optimization "magic" from Apple gives this chip noticeably better compute and graphics performance. Most striking of all, iPad Pro M5 users can now play the game at the highest "Ultra" graphics preset with a steady 60FPS, something even other top mobile chips still can't reach.
Strong performance without more cores
One interesting thing about the Apple M5 architecture is that it keeps exactly the same number of central processing (CPU) cores and graphics processing (GPU) cores as its direct predecessor, the M4. That doesn't mean performance has stood still, though. On the contrary, thanks to deep improvements inside Apple's signature silicon architecture, users get much better compute and graphics processing without the need to cram in more cores.
Earlier tests had already shown this chip to be a true "beast". In the demanding game Cyberpunk 2077, for example, the M5 reached frame rates up to 190% higher than the M4 in a benchmark comparison, and more impressively, it did so even with ray tracing turned on, a lighting technology that is extremely hardware-intensive.
Building on that success, in "Where Winds Meet", the latest open-world action RPG from developer Everstone Studio, players are getting an experience unlike anything before. Apple's newest and most powerful iPad Pro can run the game at a consistent 60 frames per second (FPS), even with every graphics setting pushed to its maximum value.
How the Apple M5 differs from its mobile rivals
To check real-world performance, the game was tested on an iPad Pro M5 with a 9-core CPU and 10-core GPU. Well-known tech YouTuber Dame Tech showed off the capabilities of this flagship tablet by playing "Where Winds Meet" at an extremely stable 60FPS with no frame drops. As the fastest system-on-a-chip (SoC) Apple has ever put in its tablets, buttery-smooth frame rates were what everyone expected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdLG9BI5T-Q
What truly sets the new iPad Pro apart from other heavyweight rivals such as the A19 Pro (in phones) or the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, however, is its ability to unlock higher graphics settings. Specifically, M5 devices can now set the visuals to "Ultra" while still running the game at a higher resolution.
In the early graphics and resolution comparisons posted by Dame Tech, both high-end devices, the iPhone 17 Pro Max (A19 Pro chip) and the REDMAGIC 11 Pro (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip), were capped at the "Extremely High" visual preset. That setting is actually one step below the "Ultra" level the M5 can handle. This clearly shows the gap in graphics processing power between Apple's tablet and laptop chips and today's smartphone chips.
Stable performance and potential on macOS
After closely reviewing the gameplay footage, the experts found no stutter at all on the iPad Pro M5. The device even recorded better "1% lows" (a measure of frame stability in the heaviest scenes) than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Frankly, this result is entirely understandable and expected.
The main reason is the physical size of the device. A larger tablet means more room for heat dissipation. Better cooling lets the M5 chip "show off its strength" and sustain high performance for long periods without thermal throttling, as happens on phones.
For gamers patiently waiting for an official macOS release, the good news is that "Where Winds Meet" is already playable through tools like CrossOver. Still, the honest advice is to wait for a native release for the best experience. After all, if the game already runs this smoothly on an iPhone or iPad, just imagine how great it would be on a MacBook Pro with the M5 chip.
