GPU comparison
MacBook Pro M4 Max (128GB) vs MacBook Pro M5 Max (36GB) for local LLMs
How the two stack up for running open-source LLMs locally — memory, bandwidth, price, and how many of the 64 tracked models each one can run.
| MacBook Pro M4 Max (128GB) | MacBook Pro M5 Max (36GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 128.0 GB | 36.0 GB |
| Bandwidth | 546 GB/s | 460 GB/s |
| Price (approx) | $4,699 | $3,599 |
| LLMs it runs | 57 of 64 | 47 of 64 |
| Best model it runs | Qwen3.8 Flash Next (MoE) · 74–110 tok/s | Qwen3.8 27B · 13–20 tok/s |
The MacBook Pro M4 Max (128GB) runs 10 more of the tracked models (57 vs 47), thanks to its 128.0 GB of memory. The MacBook Pro M4 Max (128GB) has more memory bandwidth (546 GB/s), so it generates tokens faster at the same model and quant.