AMD Instinct MI300X vs Apple M2 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
AMD Instinct MI300X wins for local AI inference. It has 563% more memory bandwidth, runs 64 models natively (vs 64), and exclusively fits 0 models the other cannot. Note: AMD Instinct MI300X uses ROCM while Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) uses METAL — software ecosystem matters for your framework.
Specs comparison
| Spec | AMD Instinct MI300X | Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 192 GB | 192 GB unified |
| Memory type | HBM3 | LPDDR5 |
| Bandwidth | 5300 GB/s(+563%) | 800 GB/s |
| CPU cores | — | 24 (16P + 8E) |
| Architecture | CDNA 3 | Apple M2 Ultra |
| Backend | ROCM | METAL |
| Tier | Datacenter | Workstation |
| Released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Models (native) | 64 | 64 |
Estimated tokens per second
Computed from memory bandwidth and model active-parameter weight. Assumes model fits natively in VRAM.
| Model | AMD Instinct MI300X | Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct(70B) | 37.9 t/s(BF16) | 5.7 t/s(BF16) | +565% |
| Qwen 3.6 27B(27B) | 49.1 t/s(FP32) | 7.4 t/s(FP32) | +564% |
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct(8B) | 165.6 t/s(FP32) | 25 t/s(FP32) | +562% |
| Qwen 2.5 7B Instruct(7.6B) | 174.3 t/s(FP32) | 26.3 t/s(FP32) | +563% |
Delta is AMD Instinct MI300X relative to Apple M2 Ultra (192GB).
Only AMD Instinct MI300X can run(0)
No exclusive models — Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) can run everything AMD Instinct MI300X can.
Only Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) can run(0)
No exclusive models — AMD Instinct MI300X can run everything Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) can.
Both run natively(64)
These models fit in VRAM on both GPUs. Bandwidth determines which runs them faster.
- MiniMax M1 456B385.2 t/svs58.1 t/s
- Llama 3.1 405B Instruct39.8 t/svs6 t/s
- Llama 4 Maverick 400B1042.4 t/svs157.3 t/s
- GLM-4.7 358B423.7 t/svs64 t/s
- GLM-4.5 355B423.7 t/svs64 t/s
- GLM-4.6 355B423.7 t/svs64 t/s
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 284B796.6 t/svs120.2 t/s
- Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE)411.5 t/svs62.1 t/s
- MiniMax M2.5 229B905.3 t/svs136.6 t/s
- MiniMax M2.7 229B905.3 t/svs136.6 t/s
- Mixtral 8x22B Instruct v0.1149.5 t/svs22.6 t/s
- Qwen 3.5 122B-A10B (MoE)583 t/svs88 t/s
- Nemotron 3 Super 120B485.8 t/svs73.3 t/s
- GPT-OSS 120B1166 t/svs176 t/s
- Llama 4 Scout 109B342.9 t/svs51.8 t/s
- GLM-4.5 Air 106B485.8 t/svs73.3 t/s
- +48 more on both
Which should you choose?
- • Faster token generation is the priority
- • You're on macOS and want native Metal acceleration (MLX, llama.cpp)
- • Unified memory matters (CPU/GPU share the same pool — no data copy overhead)
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better for local AI, the AMD Instinct MI300X or Apple M2 Ultra (192GB)?
- For local AI inference, the AMD Instinct MI300X has the edge. It offers 192 GB VRAM (vs 192 GB) and 5300 GB/s bandwidth (vs 800 GB/s), letting it run 64 models natively in VRAM vs 64 for its rival.
- How much VRAM does the AMD Instinct MI300X have vs the Apple M2 Ultra (192GB)?
- The AMD Instinct MI300X has 192 GB of HBM3 at 5300 GB/s. The Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) has 192 GB of LPDDR5 at 800 GB/s. Both GPUs have the same VRAM amount; bandwidth determines which generates tokens faster.
- Can the AMD Instinct MI300X run Llama 3.3 70B?
- Yes. The AMD Instinct MI300X runs Llama 3.3 70B natively at BF16 quantization at approximately 37.9 tokens per second.
- Can the Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) run Llama 3.3 70B?
- Yes. The Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) runs Llama 3.3 70B natively at BF16 quantization at approximately 5.7 tokens per second.
- What is the difference between the AMD Instinct MI300X and Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) for AI?
- The key difference for AI inference is VRAM and memory bandwidth. The AMD Instinct MI300X has 192 GB VRAM at 5300 GB/s (ROCM backend). The Apple M2 Ultra (192GB) has 192 GB VRAM at 800 GB/s (METAL backend). VRAM determines which models fit; bandwidth determines tokens per second. The AMD Instinct MI300X runs 64 models natively vs 64 for the Apple M2 Ultra (192GB).