Can I Run Nemotron 3 Super on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB)?
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated August 15, 2026
Yes, but it is tight
Yes, but it is tight — Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12B at Q5_K_M needs about 88.7 GB of the 96 GB usable on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB), leaving only ~7.3 GB before the runtime starts swapping. Expect ~30.8 tok/s (estimated), with room for about 16,384 tokens of context.
Confidence: low · Recommended quantization: Q5_K_M · Estimated speed: ~30.8 tok/s
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MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB) — what it gives a model
| Usable memory for models | 96 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 614 GB/s |
| Form factor | Laptop |
| Operating system | macOS |
| Memory upgradeable | No — soldered |
Nemotron 3 Super on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB): memory by quantization
| Quant | Memory needed | Fits 96 GB? | Max context | Est. speed | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F16 | 243.7 GB | ✗ No | — | — | 240 GB |
| Q8_0 | 131.2 GB | ✗ No | — | — | 127.5 GB |
| Q6_K | 102.1 GB | ✗ No | — | — | 98.4 GB |
| Q5_K_M | 88.7 GB | ✓ Yes | 16K | ~30.8 tok/s | 85.1 GB |
| Q4_K_M | 76.1 GB | ✓ Yes | 32K | ~34.8 tok/s | 72.5 GB |
| Q3_K_M | 54.8 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | ~44.6 tok/s | 51.2 GB |
| Q2_K | 43.1 GB | ✓ Yes | 128K | ~52.7 tok/s | 39.4 GB |
What to watch out for
- This model does not publish its full attention configuration, so the KV-cache share of these figures is inferred from its parameter count rather than computed exactly.
- Memory on this machine is not upgradeable, so the configuration you buy is the ceiling for every model you will ever run on it.
MacBook Pro M5 Max 128 GB limitations
- Unified memory is soldered and cannot be upgraded after purchase.
Recommended setup
Ollama or LM Studio (Metal) — MLX for the fastest Apple-native throughput
How these numbers are calculated
- Memory need = quantized weights + KV cache at 8,192 tokens (f16) + 0.8 GB runtime overhead.
- 128 GB unified memory at 614 GB/s, shared between CPU and GPU.
- macOS reserves a share of unified memory for the system, so not all of it is available to a model.
- Throughput is a memory-bandwidth roofline estimate, not a measurement. It is labelled "estimated" everywhere it appears.
- KV cache is inferred from the parameter count because this model does not publish its full attention configuration.
FAQ
Can I run Nemotron 3 Super on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB)?
Yes, but it is tight — Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12B at Q5_K_M needs about 88.7 GB of the 96 GB usable on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB), leaving only ~7.3 GB before the runtime starts swapping. Expect ~30.8 tok/s (estimated), with room for about 16,384 tokens of context.
Which quantization of Nemotron 3 Super should I use on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB)?
Q5_K_M — it needs about 88.7 GB of the 96 GB available, downloads as roughly 85.1 GB, and runs at an estimated 30.8 tokens/sec with up to 16K of context.
What limits Nemotron 3 Super on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 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" (M5 Max, 128 GB)
- Nemotron 70B on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB)
- Nemotron Cascade 2 on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB)
- Nex-N2 on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB)
- Nex-N2.5 on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB)
- North Mini Code on MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 128 GB)
Nemotron 3 Super on GPUs
- Nemotron 3 Super on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- Nemotron 3 Super on Apple M4 Max
- Nemotron 3 Super on Apple M4
- Nemotron 3 Super on Apple M3 Max
What This Model Is Good At
Model & Tools
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