Can I Run GLM-5 / GLM-5.1 on MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB)?

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated May 1, 2026

Yes — comfortably

Yes, comfortably — GLM-5.1 72B at Q5_K_M needs about 54.2 GB of the 96 GB usable on MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB), leaving ~41.8 GB spare and running at ~5.6 tok/s (estimated), with room for about 65,536 tokens of context.

Confidence: medium · Recommended quantization: Q5_K_M · Estimated speed: ~5.6 tok/s

MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB) — what it gives a model

Usable memory for models96 GB
Memory bandwidth546 GB/s
Form factorLaptop
Operating systemmacOS
Memory upgradeableNo — soldered

GLM-5 / GLM-5.1 on MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB): memory by quantization

QuantMemory neededFits 96 GB?Max contextEst. speedDownload
F16147.2 GB✗ No144 GB
Q8_079.7 GB✓ Yes32K~3.8 tok/s76.5 GB
Q6_K62.3 GB✓ Yes64K~4.9 tok/s59 GB
Q5_K_M54.2 GB✓ Yes64K~5.6 tok/s51 GB
Q4_K_M46.7 GB✓ Yes64K~6.6 tok/s43.5 GB
Q3_K_M33.9 GB✓ Yes64K~9.1 tok/s30.7 GB
Q2_K26.9 GB✓ Yes64K~11.6 tok/s23.7 GB

Which GLM-5 / GLM-5.1 sizes fit

VariantNeeds at Q4_K_MFits?Est. speed
GLM-5 744B455.2 GB✗ Too large
GLM-5.1 72B46.7 GB✓ Fits~6.6 tok/s
GLM-5 32B22 GB✓ Fits~14.2 tok/s
GLM-5 9B7.4 GB✓ Fits~43.1 tok/s

What to watch out for

MacBook Pro M4 Max 128 GB limitations

Recommended setup

Ollama or LM Studio (Metal) — MLX for the fastest Apple-native throughput

How these numbers are calculated

FAQ

Can I run GLM-5 / GLM-5.1 on MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB)?

Yes, comfortably — GLM-5.1 72B at Q5_K_M needs about 54.2 GB of the 96 GB usable on MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB), leaving ~41.8 GB spare and running at ~5.6 tok/s (estimated), with room for about 65,536 tokens of context.

Which quantization of GLM-5 / GLM-5.1 should I use on MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB)?

Q5_K_M — it needs about 54.2 GB of the 96 GB available, downloads as roughly 51 GB, and runs at an estimated 5.6 tokens/sec with up to 64K of context.

What limits GLM-5 / GLM-5.1 on MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB)?

Nothing binding — the model fits with headroom and generates at a usable speed on this hardware.

Which runtime should I use?

Ollama or LM Studio (Metal) — MLX for the fastest Apple-native throughput

Other Computers

Other Models on MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max, 128 GB)

GLM-5 / GLM-5.1 on GPUs

What This Model Is Good At

Model & Tools

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