NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) vs Apple M4 Ultra (192GB)
Side-by-side local AI comparison — VRAM, memory bandwidth, model compatibility, and estimated tokens per second across 70 open-weight models.
Quick verdict
Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) wins for local AI inference. It has 64 GB more VRAM and 300% more memory bandwidth, runs 64 models natively (vs 58), and exclusively fits 6 models the other cannot. Note: NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) uses CUDA while Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) uses METAL — software ecosystem matters for your framework.
Specs comparison
| Spec | NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) | Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 128 GB unified | 192 GB unified |
| Memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Bandwidth | 273 GB/s | 1092 GB/s(+300%) |
| CPU cores | — | 32 (24P + 8E) |
| Architecture | Grace Blackwell | Apple M4 Ultra |
| Backend | CUDA | METAL |
| Tier | Workstation | Workstation |
| Released | 2025 | 2025 |
| Models (native) | 58 | 64 |
Estimated tokens per second
Computed from memory bandwidth and model active-parameter weight. Assumes model fits natively in VRAM.
| Model | NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) | Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct(70B) | 7.8 t/s(NVFP4) | 7.8 t/s(BF16) | +0% |
| Qwen 3.6 27B(27B) | 2.5 t/s(FP32) | 10.1 t/s(FP32) | -75% |
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct(8B) | 8.5 t/s(FP32) | 34.1 t/s(FP32) | -75% |
| Qwen 2.5 7B Instruct(7.6B) | 9 t/s(FP32) | 35.9 t/s(FP32) | -75% |
Delta is NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) relative to Apple M4 Ultra (192GB).
Only NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) can run(0)
No exclusive models — Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) can run everything NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) can.
Only Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) can run(6)
- MiniMax M1 456B456B
- Llama 3.1 405B Instruct405B
- Llama 4 Maverick 400B400B
- GLM-4.7 358B358B
- GLM-4.5 355B355B
- GLM-4.6 355B355B
Both run natively(58)
These models fit in VRAM on both GPUs. Bandwidth determines which runs them faster.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 284B70.2 t/svs164.1 t/s
- Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE)31.7 t/svs84.8 t/s
- MiniMax M2.5 229B69.8 t/svs186.5 t/s
- MiniMax M2.7 229B69.8 t/svs186.5 t/s
- Mixtral 8x22B Instruct v0.115.4 t/svs30.8 t/s
- Qwen 3.5 122B-A10B (MoE)60.1 t/svs120.1 t/s
- Nemotron 3 Super 120B50.1 t/svs100.1 t/s
- GPT-OSS 120B120.1 t/svs240.2 t/s
- Llama 4 Scout 109B35.3 t/svs70.7 t/s
- GLM-4.5 Air 106B50.1 t/svs100.1 t/s
- GLM-4.6V 106B50.1 t/svs100.1 t/s
- Qwen 2.5 72B Instruct7.6 t/svs7.6 t/s
- Llama 3.3 70B Instruct7.8 t/svs7.8 t/s
- DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B7.8 t/svs7.8 t/s
- Llama 3.1 70B Instruct7.8 t/svs7.8 t/s
- Mixtral 8x7B Instruct v0.111.6 t/svs46.6 t/s
- +42 more on both
Which should you choose?
Choose NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) if:
- • You rely on CUDA-based tools (PyTorch, vLLM, Ollama)
Choose Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) if:
- • You need to run larger models (>128 GB VRAM)
- • Faster token generation is the priority
- • You're on macOS and want native Metal acceleration (MLX, llama.cpp)
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better for local AI, the NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) or Apple M4 Ultra (192GB)?
- For local AI inference, the Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) has the edge. It offers 192 GB VRAM (vs 128 GB) and 1092 GB/s bandwidth (vs 273 GB/s), letting it run 64 models natively in VRAM vs 58 for its rival.
- How much VRAM does the NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) have vs the Apple M4 Ultra (192GB)?
- The NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) has 128 GB of LPDDR5X at 273 GB/s. The Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) has 192 GB of LPDDR5X at 1092 GB/s. The Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) has 64 GB more VRAM, allowing it to run 6 models the NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) cannot fit natively.
- Can the NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) run Llama 3.3 70B?
- Yes. The NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) runs Llama 3.3 70B natively at NVFP4 quantization at approximately 7.8 tokens per second.
- Can the Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) run Llama 3.3 70B?
- Yes. The Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) runs Llama 3.3 70B natively at BF16 quantization at approximately 7.8 tokens per second.
- What is the difference between the NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) and Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) for AI?
- The key difference for AI inference is VRAM and memory bandwidth. The NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) has 128 GB VRAM at 273 GB/s (CUDA backend). The Apple M4 Ultra (192GB) has 192 GB VRAM at 1092 GB/s (METAL backend). VRAM determines which models fit; bandwidth determines tokens per second. The NVIDIA DGX Spark (128GB) runs 58 models natively vs 64 for the Apple M4 Ultra (192GB).