GPU comparison
MacBook Pro M5 Pro (64GB) 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 M5 Pro (64GB) | MacBook Pro M5 Max (36GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 64.0 GB | 36.0 GB |
| Bandwidth | 307 GB/s | 460 GB/s |
| Price (approx) | $3,399 | $3,599 |
| LLMs it runs | 52 of 64 | 47 of 64 |
| Best model it runs | Qwen3.8 27B · 14–21 tok/s | Qwen3.8 27B · 13–20 tok/s |
The MacBook Pro M5 Pro (64GB) runs 5 more of the tracked models (52 vs 47), thanks to its 64.0 GB of memory. The MacBook Pro M5 Max (36GB) has more memory bandwidth (460 GB/s), so it generates tokens faster at the same model and quant.