Apple M4 Max — Local LLM Performance & Compatibility

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026

Up to 128 GB unified memory acts as VRAM — can run any quantized model. 35W TDP is extraordinary. Silent, fast, and runs 70B models at 38 t/s. Best all-around for Mac users.

Technical Specifications

VRAM128 GB unified memory
Memory Bandwidth546 GB/s
TDP35 W
ArchitectureARM, 3nm TSMC
Release Year2024
MSRP at Launch$3,499
Inference Speed (Llama 3.1 8B Q4_K_M)31–64 tok/s (estimated)
Inference Speed (Llama 3.3 70B Q4_K_M)4.4–9.1 tok/s (estimated)
Buy This HardwareApple Mac Studio M4 Max — 128 GB VRAM · 35 W board powerDeploy in the Cloud NowRunPod

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Apple Mac Studio M4 Max
128 GB VRAM · 35 W board power
2026 prices are volatile — check the current listing.
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LLMs Compatible with 128 GB Unified Memory

All models below run comfortably in 128 GB unified memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

Llama 3.3Llama 3.3 70B Instruct · 43 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run llama3.3
Llama 3.1 FamilyLlama 3.1 8B Instruct · 6 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run llama3.1
Llama 4Llama 4 Scout 17B · 67 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run llama4:scout
DeepSeek R1DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B · 20 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run deepseek-r1:32b
Qwen 3Qwen 3 32B · 21 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run qwen3:32b
Gemma 3Gemma 3 27B Instruct · 17 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run gemma3:27b
Mistral Small 3.1Mistral Small 3.1 24B · 15 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run mistral-small3.1
Phi-4 FamilyPhi-4 (14B) · 9 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run phi4

Best Use Cases

Quick Start with Ollama

Install Ollama then run the recommended model for this GPU:

ollama run llama4:scout

FAQ

Can the Apple M4 Max run local LLMs?

Yes — the Apple M4 Max has 128 GB unified memory and runs Up to 128 GB unified memory acts as VRAM — can run any quantized model. 35W TDP is extraordinary. Silent, fast, and runs

How fast is the Apple M4 Max for AI inference?

The Apple M4 Max is estimated to run Llama 3.1 8B at 31–64 tok/s with Q4_K_M quantization. For Llama 3.3 70B the estimate is 4.4–9.1 tok/s. These are modelled estimates, not measurements — see /en/methodology.

What LLMs can I run on 128 GB VRAM?

With 128 GB you can run: Llama 3.3, Llama 3.1 Family, Llama 4, DeepSeek R1, Qwen 3. Use Ollama for the easiest setup: ollama run llama4:scout.

Can I Run It? — Apple M4 Max

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