Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 on Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified)
Yes — M3 Pro (18GB Unified) handles Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 well at FP16. Solid daily-driver performance on 18 GB VRAM.
Model Size
6.6B
Device VRAM
18 GB
Bandwidth
150 GB/s
Quantization
FP16
Performance by Quantization
OwnRig currently has one published compatibility entry for Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 on Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified) at FP16. This is the best supported pairing we can stand behind today.
| Quantization | Speed | TTFT | Fits in VRAM | Rating | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | – | – | ✓ Yes | Good | estimated |
Notes
FP16
5GB fits easily. Slower than M4 Pro. Good for image generation.
About Stable Diffusion XL 1.0
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 (6.6B) is a image gen model. The standard for local image generation. 1024x1024 base resolution. Massive LoRA/checkpoint ecosystem. Runs well on 8GB+ VRAM. VRAM usage varies by resolution and batch size; 6.5GB is for single 1024x1024 generation.
View all Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 hardware options →About Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified)
Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified) has 18 GB at 150 GB/s. Available in MacBook Pro 14", MacBook Pro 16".
See all models Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified) can run →Estimate method: MLX performance estimates. Reference hardware source: github.com (2026-03-15)
Performance varies by driver version, inference engine, quantization method, context length, and system configuration. Figures shown are estimates based on community benchmarks and may not reflect your exact setup. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. OwnRig is independent and not affiliated with any hardware or AI model provider.