GPU comparison
MacBook Pro / Mac mini M5 Pro (24GB) vs Mac Studio M5 Ultra (256GB) 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 / Mac mini M5 Pro (24GB) | Mac Studio M5 Ultra (256GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 24.0 GB | 256.0 GB |
| Bandwidth | 307 GB/s | 1228 GB/s |
| Price (approx) | $1,699 | $9,499 |
| LLMs it runs | 45 of 64 | 60 of 64 |
| Best model it runs | Qwen3.8 27B · 14–21 tok/s | GLM-5.3 Flash (MoE) · 61–91 tok/s |
The Mac Studio M5 Ultra (256GB) runs 15 more of the tracked models (60 vs 45), thanks to its 256.0 GB of memory. The Mac Studio M5 Ultra (256GB) has more memory bandwidth (1228 GB/s), so it generates tokens faster at the same model and quant.