Apple · M4 Max · Desktop
Best AI Models for Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB)
Runs 27–35B models well and fits 120B MoE; dense 70B fits but is slow at 8 tok/s.
| # | Model | Speed | llmrun Score | Quant · Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.8 27BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 21.9 t/s | 21.9 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB | |
| 2 | Qwen3.6 27BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 21.9 t/s | 21.9 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB | |
| 3 | Gemma 4 31B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB · 18.7 t/s | 18.7 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB | |
| 4 | Gemma 4 26B A4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB · 75.8 t/s | 75.8 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB | |
| 5 | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB · 70.5 t/s | 70.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB |
| # | Model | Speed | Coding Score | Quant · Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.8 27BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 21.9 t/s | 21.9 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB | |
| 2 | Gemma 4 31B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB · 18.7 t/s | 18.7 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB | |
| 3 | Qwen3.6 35B A3BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 22.0 GB · 64.2 t/s | 64.2 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 22.0 GB | |
| 4 | Gemma 4 26B A4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB · 75.8 t/s | 75.8 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB | |
| 5 | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB · 70.5 t/s | 70.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB |
| # | Model | Speed | Reasoning Score | Quant · Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.8 27BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 21.9 t/s | 21.9 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB | |
| 2 | Gemma 4 31B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB · 18.7 t/s | 18.7 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB | |
| 3 | Qwen3.5 27BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 21.9 t/s | 21.9 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB | |
| 4 | Gemma 4 26B A4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB · 75.8 t/s | 75.8 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB | |
| 5 | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB · 70.5 t/s | 70.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB |
| # | Model | Speed | Math Score | Quant · Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.8 27BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 21.9 t/s | 21.9 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB | |
| 2 | Qwen3.6 27BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 21.9 t/s | 21.9 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB | |
| 3 | Qwen3.6 35B A3BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 22.0 GB · 64.2 t/s | 64.2 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 22.0 GB | |
| 4 | Gemma 4 31B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB · 18.7 t/s | 18.7 tok/s | overall | Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB |
| 5 | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB · 70.5 t/s | 70.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB |
| # | Model | Speed ↓ | llmrun Score | Quant · Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.5 4BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 117 t/s | 117 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB | |
| 2 | GPT OSS 20BOpenAI Q4_K_M · 13.1 GB · 86.4 t/s | 86.4 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 13.1 GB | |
| 3 | Gemma 4 26B A4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB · 75.8 t/s | 75.8 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB | |
| 4 | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB · 70.5 t/s | 70.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB | |
| 5 | Qwen3 30B A3B Thinking 2507Alibaba Q4_K_M · 19.4 GB · 66.8 t/s | 66.8 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 19.4 GB |
The Mac Studio M4 Max is a mid-range 64 GB desktop: it runs 27–35B models well and fits 120B MoE. Among 64 GB machines, only the M1 Ultra, M2 Ultra and M5 Max write faster. macOS keeps about 3.5 GB, leaving 60.5 GB for models. Prompt reading is its weak spot: a 4K-token prompt waits 33 s before the first word on Qwen3.8 27B. At its $2,699 MSRP it gives 23.8 tok/s per $1,000, 2nd of the 7 machines compared here. M4 Max generation, released 2025; the newer M5 Max writes 6% faster with 2.0× the compute.
Mac Studio M4 Max strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Runs 120B MoE models: GPT OSS 120B at 67.7 tok/s in 59.1 GB
- Room for long context: Qwen3.8 27B at Q4 uses 17.9 GB, leaving 42.6 GB free
- Low power draw: 145 W at full load for the whole machine
Weaknesses
- Slow on large dense models: Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at 8.2 tok/s
- Slow prompt reading: A 32K-token prompt on Qwen3.8 27B waits 4.4 min for the first token
- No CUDA: vLLM, AWQ, GPTQ and FP8 builds don't run; use GGUF or MLX
Memory for models
60.5 GB of 64 GBEverything on the size ladder fits. Two 27B-class models together use 35.7 GB and leave 24.8 GB free.
Speed per dollar and per watt
On Qwen3.6 35B A3B (35B params, 3B active) at Q4_K_M. New means a shop price, either a street quote or the maker's own price; used is compared with used. The last two columns are the speed you get per $1,000 of price and per 100 W of power; higher is better. The Mac Studio M4 Max has no current new price, so it is shown at its MSRP.
| Machine | New price | tok/s | tok/s per $1,000 | tok/s per 100 W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
RTX 509032 GB | about $5,376 | 213 | 39.7 | 37.1 |
Mac Studio M4 Max64 GB | about $2,699 | 64.2 | 23.8 | 44.3 |
Mac Studio M4 Max36 GB | about $2,499 | 55.2 | 22.1 | 38.1 |
| about $2,299 | 46.5 | 20.2 | – | |
Mac Studio M3 Ultra96 GB | about $3,999 | 76.6 | 19.2 | 28.4 |
Mac Studio M4 Max128 GB | about $3,499 | 64.2 | 18.3 | 44.3 |
| about $4,199 | 64.2 | 15.3 | – |
| Machine | Used price | tok/s | tok/s per $1,000 | tok/s per 100 W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
RTX 409024 GBBest used value | about $3,000 | 151 | 50.3 | 33.6 |
RTX 509032 GB | about $6,400 | 213 | 33.3 | 37.1 |
Mac Studio M4 Max36 GB | about $2,000 | 55.2 | 27.6 | 38.1 |
| about $2,109 | 46.5 | 22.0 | – | |
Mac Studio M4 Max64 GB | about $3,400 | 64.2 | 18.9 | 44.3 |
Mac Studio M3 Ultra96 GB | about $4,525 | 76.6 | 16.9 | 28.4 |
Cost per token: the Mac Studio M4 Max against 24–128 GB machines and GPUs
On Qwen3.6 35B A3B (35B params, 3B active, Q4_K_M, 4K context). Speed, cost per token and power per token depend on the model.
- Machine, MSRP
- $2.67
- Power
- $0.09
Renting costs as much as buying after ≈2,700 hours (≈1.8 years at 4 h a day).
Each dot is a machine or GPU; hover or tap it for its numbers, click to open it. Machines without a price for the chosen basis are left out. Machines without a published power figure are left out of Per watt and costed without power. How we calculate cost per token
Other memory sizes of the same machine first, then machines and GPUs people weigh against it, each with the one reason it is worth a look. Speeds on Qwen3.6 35B A3B.
Output speed depends on memory bandwidth (546 GB/s). Grey rows need more than the 60.5 GB available.
- 9BQwen3.5 9B · Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB60.1tok/s
- 14BQwen3 14B · Q4_K_M · 11.9 GB40.2tok/s
- 27–31BQwen3.8 27B · Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB21.9tok/s
- 35B MoEQwen3.6 35B A3B · Q4_K_M · 22.0 GB64.2tok/s
- 8.2tok/s
- 67.7tok/s
Estimated speeds: Q4_K_M, 4K context, one user. How we estimate
Max generations: writing vs compute
M1 Max → M5 MaxWriting speed follows memory bandwidth and barely moved: 54.5 to 67.8 tok/s since the M1 Max. Compute, which sets how fast prompts are read, grew 4.4×. Indexed to the M1 Max; speeds on Qwen3.6 35B A3B, same 64 GB.
All 370 models on the Mac Studio M4 Max
Featured onlyBest quant that fits in 60.5 GB, ordered by llmrun Score. Fit grades how well it runs here, S best. How ranking works
| Model | Quant | VRAM | Speed | Context | Score | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qwen3.8 27BVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 17.9 GB | 21.9 t/s | 262K | B62, Decent | |
Qwen3.6 35B A3BVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 22.0 GB | 64.2 t/s | 262K | A84, Runs well | |
Gemma 4 26B A4B ITVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 16.5 GB | 75.8 t/s | 262K | S86, Runs great | |
Muse Glimmer 30BVision | Q4_K_M | 19.6 GB | 20.8 t/s | 131K | B61, Decent | |
NVIDIA Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B A3B BF16ChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 19.3 GB | 70.5 t/s | 262K | S86, Runs great | |
Gemma 4 31B ITVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 21.7 GB | 18.7 t/s | 262K | B58, Decent | |
GLM 4.7 FlashChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 19.9 GB | 58.6 t/s | 203K | A83, Runs well | |
FlintChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 25.0 GB | 72.5 t/s | 262K | S86, Runs great | |
LFM2.5 24B A2BChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 15.0 GB | 83.5 t/s | 131K | S88, Runs great | |
MiniCPM V 4.7 35B A3BVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 22.1 GB | 69.4 t/s | 262K | S86, Runs great | |
JEV 27B VLVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 17.9 GB | 21.9 t/s | 262K | B62, Decent | |
GPT OSS 20BChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 13.1 GB | 86.4 t/s | 131K | S88, Runs great | |
Sage A1.5ChatVisionCodeFunctions | Q4_K_M | 22.0 GB | 64.2 t/s | 262K | A84, Runs well | |
Ling 3.0 TinyChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 5.5 GB | 138.0 t/s | 131K | S96, Runs great | |
MiMo V2.6 Distill Qwen 9BVisionCodeFunctions | Q4_K_M | 6.5 GB | 61.5 t/s | 262K | A84, Runs well |
Specs
- Chip
- M4 Max
- CPU cores
- 16
- GPU cores
- 40
- Unified memory
- 64 GB
- For models
- 60.5 GB (macOS keeps 3.5 GB)
- Memory bandwidth
- 546 GB/s
- FP16 (dense)
- 34.4 TFLOPS
- Neural Engine
- 38 TOPS
- Power
- 145 W max
- Released
- 2025-03-12
- MSRP
- $2,699
Mac Studio M4 Max FAQ
Is the Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB) worth it for local LLMs in 2026?
At its $2,699 MSRP it gives 23.8 tok/s per $1,000 on Qwen3.6 35B A3B, 2nd of the 7 machines compared here. It runs 27–35B models well and fits 120B MoE; dense 70B fits but is slow at 8 tok/s.
How much memory is available for AI on the Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB)?
About 60.5 GB of the 64 GB. macOS keeps roughly 3.5 GB for itself and other apps.
What is the largest model the Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB) can run?
GPT OSS 120B (116.8B) is the largest at 4-bit or better: at Q4_0 it uses 59.1 GB, 98% of the available memory, and runs at about 67.7 tok/s. At 3-bit, a bigger model fits too: NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Super 120B A12B BF16 (123.6B) at IQ3_M, 56.1 GB.
Can the Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB) run Qwen3.8 27B?
Yes. Qwen3.8 27B fits at Q4_K_M, using 17.9 GB of the 60.5 GB available, and it is the best model that runs well on this machine.
Can the Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB) run 70B models?
Yes, but slowly: Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at Q4_K_M uses 51.3 GB and writes about 8.2 tok/s.
How long does the Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB) take to read a long prompt?
On Qwen3.8 27B, about 33 s for a 4K-token prompt and 4.4 min for a 32K-token document before the first word appears.
Is renting a GPU cheaper than buying the Mac Studio M4 Max?
An A100 (80 GB) rents from $1.00/hr. Renting costs as much as buying after ≈2,700 hours (≈1.8 years at 4 h a day).