MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB vs MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB for local LLMs
Memory fit, speed and context compared with the same math as the advisor. Both offer about the same usable memory (89.1 GB), so the difference is mostly bandwidth (614 vs 546 GB/s).
Verdict from the numbers
- Fit. MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB fits 13 of 13 models fully at 16k context (largest: gpt-oss 120B Q8_0); MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB fits 13 (largest: gpt-oss 120B Q8_0). Both fit the same set of models.
- Speed. On the 13 models that fit fully on both, MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB is faster by a typical 1.4x. MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB is ahead on 13, MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB on 0. No model is measured on both machines, so every comparison involves an estimate; read it as a guide.
- Trade-off. Both offer about the same usable memory (89.1 GB), so the difference is mostly bandwidth (614 vs 546 GB/s).
Where to check prices
Price tier note
We do not list prices because they move daily and differ between new and used stock. What the data does show is what the memory difference buys: both have the same usable memory, so model fit is identical and the choice comes down to speed (614 vs 546 GB/s bandwidth). Use the Amazon links above to compare current listings and decide whether the difference is worth it for the models you want to run.
Model by model · 16k context, f16 KV cache
| Model | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB fit | tok/s | MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB fit | tok/s | Faster / fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemma 4 26B-A4B Q8_0 | fits fully | 57 scaled from measured | fits fully | 50 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Gemma 4 31B Q6_K | fits fully | 20 scaled from measured | fits fully | 14 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Gemma 4 12B Q8_0 | fits fully | 36 scaled from measured | fits fully | 20 scaled from measured | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Qwen3.6 27B Q8_0 | fits fully | 17 scaled from measured | fits fully | 15 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Qwen3.6 35B-A3B Q8_0 | fits fully | 71 measured | fits fully | 66 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Qwen3.5 9B Q8_0 | fits fully | 37 scaled from measured | fits fully | 27 scaled from measured | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Qwen3.5 4B Q8_0 | fits fully | 102 scaled from measured | fits fully | 57 scaled from measured | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| gpt-oss 20B Q8_0 | fits fully | 180 estimated | fits fully | 97 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| gpt-oss 120B Q8_0 | fits fully | 135 estimated | fits fully | 73 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B Q8_0 | fits fully | 65 scaled from measured | fits fully | 58 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Mistral Small 3.2 24B Q8_0 | fits fully | 20 scaled from measured | fits fully | 15 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| Qwen3-VL 8B Q8_0 | fits fully | 41 scaled from measured | fits fully | 30 scaled from measured | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
| GLM-4.5-Air Q5_K_M | fits fully | 41 estimated | fits fully | 22 estimated | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB |
Badges: measured medians of real llama.cpp runs; scaled from measured and estimated come from our bandwidth model. See sources and methods.
How much context fits?
Largest context where weights plus KV cache stay inside usable memory, per model that fits fully on at least one side. q8_0 KV roughly halves the cache.
| Model | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB f16 | MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB f16 | MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB q8_0 | MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB q8_0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-oss 120B | 128k | 128k | 128k | 128k |
| GLM-4.5-Air | 16k | 16k | 32k | 32k |
| Qwen3.6 35B-A3B | 1M | 1M | 1M | 1M |
| Gemma 4 31B | 256k | 256k | 256k | 256k |
| Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B | 512k | 512k | 1M | 1M |
| Qwen3.6 27B | 512k | 1M | 1M | 1M |
| Gemma 4 26B-A4B | 256k | 256k | 256k | 256k |
| Mistral Small 3.2 24B | 128k | 128k | 128k | 128k |
| gpt-oss 20B | 128k | 128k | 128k | 128k |
| Gemma 4 12B | 256k | 256k | 256k | 256k |
| Qwen3.5 9B | 1M | 1M | 1M | 1M |
| Qwen3-VL 8B | 512k | 512k | 1M | 1M |
| Qwen3.5 4B | 1M | 1M | 1M | 1M |
Spec summary
| MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB | MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB | |
|---|---|---|
| Usable memory for model + KV cache | 89.1 GB | 89.1 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 614 GB/s | 546 GB/s |
| Models that fit fully at 16k | 13 of 13 | 13 of 13 |
| Models that need offload or do not fit | 0 | 0 |
| Measured data points on file | 8 | 4 |
FAQ
Which is faster for local LLMs, MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB or MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB?
On the 13 models that fit fully on both, MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB is typically 1.4x faster (geometric mean). MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB wins 13 and MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB wins 0. 0 comparisons are measured on both.
Which fits more models, MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB or MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB?
MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB fits 13 of 13 models fully at 16k context and MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB fits 13.
Can I run long context on MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB or MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB?
At f16 KV cache, the largest-model context limits are in the table above (for example gpt-oss 120B on MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB: 128k; gpt-oss 120B on MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB: 128k). A q8_0 KV cache extends it further.
Do you state prices for MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB or MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB?
No. Prices change daily, so we link to Amazon search results instead and focus on measured and estimated speed and memory fit.
Related
MacBook Pro 14/16 M5 Max 128GB · MacBook Pro 14/16 (2024) M4 Max 128GB
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