Apple M4 Pro (48GB) vs Apple M3 Max (48GB)
Side-by-side local AI comparison — VRAM, memory bandwidth, model compatibility, and estimated tokens per second across 70 open-weight models.
Quick verdict
Apple M3 Max (48GB) wins for local AI inference. It has 47% more memory bandwidth, runs 53 models natively (vs 53), and exclusively fits 0 models the other cannot.
Specs comparison
| Spec | Apple M4 Pro (48GB) | Apple M3 Max (48GB) |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 48 GB unified | 48 GB unified |
| Memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5 |
| Bandwidth | 273 GB/s | 400 GB/s(+47%) |
| CPU cores | 14 (10P + 4E) | 16 (12P + 4E) |
| Architecture | Apple M4 Pro | Apple M3 Max |
| Backend | METAL | METAL |
| Tier | Laptop | Laptop |
| Released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Models (native) | 53 | 53 |
Estimated tokens per second
Computed from memory bandwidth and model active-parameter weight. Assumes model fits natively in VRAM.
| Model | Apple M4 Pro (48GB) | Apple M3 Max (48GB) | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct(70B) | 7.8 t/s(Q4_K_M) | 11.4 t/s(Q4_K_M) | -32% |
| Qwen 3.6 27B(27B) | 10.1 t/s(Q8) | 14.8 t/s(Q8) | -32% |
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct(8B) | 17.1 t/s(FP16) | 25 t/s(FP16) | -32% |
| Qwen 2.5 7B Instruct(7.6B) | 18 t/s(FP16) | 26.3 t/s(FP16) | -32% |
Delta is Apple M4 Pro (48GB) relative to Apple M3 Max (48GB).
Only Apple M4 Pro (48GB) can run(0)
No exclusive models — Apple M3 Max (48GB) can run everything Apple M4 Pro (48GB) can.
Only Apple M3 Max (48GB) can run(0)
No exclusive models — Apple M4 Pro (48GB) can run everything Apple M3 Max (48GB) can.
Both run natively(53)
These models fit in VRAM on both GPUs. Bandwidth determines which runs them faster.
- Qwen 3.5 122B-A10B (MoE)100.1 t/svs146.7 t/s
- Nemotron 3 Super 120B83.4 t/svs122.2 t/s
- GPT-OSS 120B200.2 t/svs293.3 t/s
- Llama 4 Scout 109B58.9 t/svs86.3 t/s
- GLM-4.5 Air 106B83.4 t/svs122.2 t/s
- GLM-4.6V 106B83.4 t/svs122.2 t/s
- Qwen 2.5 72B Instruct7.6 t/svs11.1 t/s
- Llama 3.3 70B Instruct7.8 t/svs11.4 t/s
- DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B7.8 t/svs11.4 t/s
- Llama 3.1 70B Instruct7.8 t/svs11.4 t/s
- Mixtral 8x7B Instruct v0.131 t/svs45.5 t/s
- Command-R 35B10.4 t/svs15.2 t/s
- Qwen 3.5 35B-A3B (MoE)100.1 t/svs146.7 t/s
- Qwen 3.6 35B7.8 t/svs11.4 t/s
- Yi 1.5 34B Chat7.9 t/svs11.6 t/s
- Qwen3 32B8.3 t/svs12.2 t/s
- +37 more on both
Which should you choose?
Choose Apple M4 Pro (48GB) if:
- • You want the newer architecture and longer driver support lifecycle
Choose Apple M3 Max (48GB) if:
- • Faster token generation is the priority
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better for local AI, the Apple M4 Pro (48GB) or Apple M3 Max (48GB)?
- For local AI inference, the Apple M3 Max (48GB) has the edge. It offers 48 GB VRAM (vs 48 GB) and 400 GB/s bandwidth (vs 273 GB/s), letting it run 53 models natively in VRAM vs 53 for its rival.
- How much VRAM does the Apple M4 Pro (48GB) have vs the Apple M3 Max (48GB)?
- The Apple M4 Pro (48GB) has 48 GB of LPDDR5X at 273 GB/s. The Apple M3 Max (48GB) has 48 GB of LPDDR5 at 400 GB/s. Both GPUs have the same VRAM amount; bandwidth determines which generates tokens faster.
- Can the Apple M4 Pro (48GB) run Llama 3.3 70B?
- Yes. The Apple M4 Pro (48GB) runs Llama 3.3 70B natively at Q4_K_M quantization at approximately 7.8 tokens per second.
- Can the Apple M3 Max (48GB) run Llama 3.3 70B?
- Yes. The Apple M3 Max (48GB) runs Llama 3.3 70B natively at Q4_K_M quantization at approximately 11.4 tokens per second.
- What is the difference between the Apple M4 Pro (48GB) and Apple M3 Max (48GB) for AI?
- The key difference for AI inference is VRAM and memory bandwidth. The Apple M4 Pro (48GB) has 48 GB VRAM at 273 GB/s (METAL backend). The Apple M3 Max (48GB) has 48 GB VRAM at 400 GB/s (METAL backend). VRAM determines which models fit; bandwidth determines tokens per second. The Apple M4 Pro (48GB) runs 53 models natively vs 53 for the Apple M3 Max (48GB).