Apple
Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified)
128 GB · 546 GB/s
$4,499
Updated 2026-03-01
The Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) with 128 GB unified memory can handle 13 AI models across coding, ai_coding, ai_building. Best performance: Llama 3.2 1B Instruct at 150 tok/s (excellent). For AI coding workflows, it supports the Full AI Builder tier — supports concurrent coding + reasoning + embeddings. Current price: approximately $4,499.
— OwnRig methodology, data updated 2026-03-01
Builder Capability: Full AI Builder
Supports concurrent coding + reasoning + embeddings. Can run 70B models.
Specifications
Memory
- Capacity
- 128 GB
- Bandwidth
- 546 GB/s
- Type
- Unified Memory
Power & Platform
- TDP
- 75W
- GPU Cores
- 40
- Host Devices
- MacBook Pro 16", Mac Studio
Compatible Models
| Model | Quant | Speed | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B Instruct | Q8_0 | 15 tok/s | Good | 128GB allows running full-quality Q8 (34.6GB) alongside QwQ 32B Q4 (18.4GB) + embeddings (0.5GB) = ~53.5GB, leaving 74.5GB free. |
| Llama 3.1 70B Instruct | Q5_K_M | 7 tok/s | Acceptable | Q5 at 47GB fits comfortably in 128GB. Higher quality than Q4 with room for concurrent models. The 70B bandwidth bottleneck is real though. |
| QwQ 32B Preview | Q8_0 | 14 tok/s | Good | 128GB allows running QwQ Q8 (34.6GB) + Qwen Coder 32B Q4 (18.4GB) = 53GB concurrent for reasoning + coding workflow. |
| Qwen 2.5 72B Instruct | Q4_K_M | 6 tok/s | Acceptable | Q4 at 40.5GB in 128GB. Higher quality than Q3 with massive headroom. |
| DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B | Q5_K_M | 16 tok/s | Good | Q5 quality with massive headroom. Premium reasoning on 128GB Mac. |
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct | Q4_K_M | 7 tok/s | Acceptable | Q4 at ~40GB fits in 128GB. Higher quality than Q3 with headroom. |
| Llama 3.2 3B Instruct | Q8_0 | 100 tok/s | Excellent | Bandwidth-bound. 3B runs at full M4 Max speed with 124GB headroom. |
| Llama 3.2 1B Instruct | Q8_0 | 150 tok/s | Excellent | 1B at full M4 Max speed. Trivial VRAM footprint. |
| Phi-4 Mini | Q8_0 | 90 tok/s | Excellent | 3.8B at full M4 Max speed. 123GB headroom. |
| Whisper Large V3 Turbo | FP16 | — | Excellent | Bandwidth-bound. Same transcription speed as other M4 Max configs. |
| Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large | FP16 | — | Good | Bandwidth-bound. ~10s per image. 115GB headroom for batch generation. |
| Gemma 3 27B | Q8_0 | 12 tok/s | Good | Full Q8_0 (29.5GB) fits with massive headroom. Bandwidth limits speed but quality is maximal. |
| DeepSeek V3 | Q2_K | 3 tok/s | Marginal | Barely fits at Q2_K (115GB) with heavy quality loss. The 128GB unified memory is just enough. Extremely slow due to model size vs bandwidth. Included to show what's technically possible — not recommended for production use. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What AI models can Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) run?
- The Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) can run 13 AI models. Top performers include Llama 3.2 1B Instruct, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct, Phi-4 Mini. See the full compatibility table above for speeds and quality ratings.
- Is Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) good for AI coding?
- Yes. With 128 GB, the Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) supports the Full AI Builder tier — concurrent coding + reasoning + embeddings.
- How much VRAM does Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) have?
- The Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) has 128 GB of unified memory with 546 GB/s bandwidth.
- Can Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) run 70B models?
- Yes. The Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) can run 70B parameter models in VRAM at quantized quality.
- Is Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) worth it for AI?
- At $4,499, the Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) offers 128 GB VRAM and runs 13 AI models. It's a strong choice for local AI inference.
Generation: M4. Last updated: 2026-03-01.