MusicRadar’s James Grimshaw reported two separate, unusually demanding Logic Pro tests on a 16.2-inch MacBook Pro M5 Max with a 40-core GPU, 128GB of unified memory and a 4TB SSD: one session played 525 channels across 48 subgroups at a peak 56% user-associated CPU load; a different stress test reached 226 processed tracks before a system-overload message. The results show substantial headroom in those workloads, not a standardized performance comparison. MusicRadar published Grimshaw’s review on October 13, 2026; his review does not give a date for the tests.
What the two Logic Pro tests measured
In the 525-channel session, about half the channels had instrument and effects plug-ins, including Alchemy and Space Designer. The session ran across 48 subgroups, with user-associated CPU load peaking at 56%. Grimshaw also continued other tasks, such as auditioning sound packs, opening browser tabs and taking notes. That makes the result a useful example of the tested machine handling a busy, multitasking session—not a promise about every project, plug-in or buffer setting.
The 226-track result came from a separate test. Grimshaw duplicated 32-bit/192kHz field recordings, processed them with Space Designer and stereo compression, and used maximum processing-power and buffer settings. Logic Pro reached a system-overload message at 226 tracks. Grimshaw described that setup as impractical for ordinary work, so the number is best understood as a stress-test result, not a production target.
During the channel test, Grimshaw noticed warmth on his thighs and later realized the fan was running. He said he could not hear it over a distant refrigerator in the room. He also used the built-in DAC with HEDD D1 headphones, without an external audio interface, and reported support for audio up to 96kHz and 32-bit.
The configuration and Apple’s specifications
The test results apply to a high-memory, 40-core GPU configuration—not every MacBook Pro M5 Max. Apple specifies two GPU options for the 16-inch model: a 32-core GPU with 460GB/s memory bandwidth, or a 40-core GPU with 614GB/s. The review machine used the latter, alongside 128GB of unified memory and 4TB of storage. Apple lists the 16-inch M5 Max with an 18-core CPU and up to 128GB of unified memory. Apple’s technical specifications also list a 99.6Wh actual battery rating and a 140W USB-C power adapter in the box.
Grimshaw’s battery observations were made in separate use periods: light use consumed about 6% of the charge over three hours; heavier Logic Pro experiments brought the battery below 50% over a cumulative five or six hours. Apple’s separate estimates are up to 22 hours of video streaming or 16 hours of wireless web browsing under its stated test conditions. Those figures describe different workloads and measurement conditions.
A separate workload: local AI
Victor Abarca describes using LM Studio to run Llama and a DeepSeek model with 70 billion parameters locally on a 16-inch M5 Max with a 40-core GPU, 128GB of unified memory and a 4TB SSD. He reports that the AI workload warmed the laptop, started its fans and reduced the battery charge. That account adds a different kind of demanding use to the Logic Pro tests, but it is Abarca’s experience rather than a standardized benchmark. His review is in Spanish.
For a buyer, the practical question is whether sessions resemble the unusually heavy workloads described here. The Logic Pro figures belong to one specific 40-core, 128GB, 4TB configuration, while Apple’s specifications distinguish that model from the 32-core GPU option; the reported results do not establish how another configuration would perform.
