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Apple M5 Max (48GB)

The Apple M5 Max (48GB) has 48 GB VRAM and 614 GB/s memory bandwidth. It can run 51 of our 70 tracked models natively in VRAM at 8k context.

With 48 GB LPDDR5X, the Apple M5 Max (48GB) is a laptop-tier GPU that can run 51 models natively. It handles 70B-class models at Q4 quantization.

The Apple M5 Max (48GB) offers 48GB of unified memory and 614 GB/s bandwidth, striking a practical balance between cost and on-device AI capability on Mac. Qwen 3.6 35B runs at Q4_K_M with comfortable headroom, and Gemma 4 31B fits at Q4_K_M or Q8_0 — both fully in-memory without CPU offload. Powered by the 18-core M5 Max and optimized for MLX and llama.cpp, it's the sweet spot for Apple Silicon users who want today's best open-weight models without stepping up to the maximum memory tier.

Apple M5 Max (48GB) is a mobile/laptop Apple Silicon chip based on the Apple M5 Max architecture. Released in 2026. It features 48 GB of LPDDR5X unified memory at 614 GB/s memory bandwidth. As an Apple Silicon chip, its memory is unified between CPU and GPU, so the full 48 GB can be allocated to model weights. MLX gives the best performance on Apple Silicon; llama.cpp Metal backend is a solid alternative. Both are well-supported by Ollama.

For local LLM inference, this GPU runs 51 of the 70 models we track natively in VRAM at 8K context. The largest model it handles in VRAM is GPT-OSS 120B (410.6 t/s at Q2_K). It handles most models up to the 70B class in VRAM, including some larger MoE models. On Llama 3.3 70B Instruct, it achieves approximately 20.4 tokens per second at Q3_K_M quantization.

Apple's Metal backend is fully supported by MLX and llama.cpp, giving excellent performance on macOS. Among laptop GPUs, it sits above Apple M4 Max (48GB) and NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada in performance, but below NVIDIA RTX A6000.

VendorApple
ArchitectureApple M5 Max
CPU cores18 (6S + 12P)
VRAM48 GB (unified)
Memory typeLPDDR5X
Memory bandwidth614 GB/s
Compute backendMETAL
TierLaptop
Released2026
Models (native)51 / 70
Models (offload)0 / 70
Software: MLX gives the best performance on Apple Silicon; llama.cpp Metal backend is a solid alternative. Both are well-supported by Ollama.

Popular models for this GPU

GPT-OSS 120BLlama 4 Scout 109BGLM-4.5 Air 106BGLM-4.6V 106BQwen 2.5 72B Instruct

Models this GPU runs natively in VRAM (51)

Too large for this GPU (19)

Frequently asked questions

How much VRAM does the Apple M5 Max (48GB) have?
The Apple M5 Max (48GB) has 48 GB of LPDDR5X with 614 GB/s memory bandwidth (unified system memory, shared between CPU and GPU).
What is the Apple M5 Max (48GB) best for?
With 48 GB of VRAM, the Apple M5 Max (48GB) is ideal for running 70B-class models at Q4 quantization and large MoE models — a workstation sweet spot for local inference.
What LLMs can the Apple M5 Max (48GB) run locally?
The Apple M5 Max (48GB) can run 51 of the 70 open-weight models tracked by CanItRun natively in VRAM at 8k context. Top options include: Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at Q3_K_M, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct at FP32, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct at FP32.
Can the Apple M5 Max (48GB) run Llama 3.3 70B Instruct?
Yes. The Apple M5 Max (48GB) runs Llama 3.3 70B Instruct natively in VRAM at Q3_K_M quantization, achieving approximately 20.4 tokens per second.
Can the Apple M5 Max (48GB) run Qwen 3.6 27B?
Yes. The Apple M5 Max (48GB) runs Qwen 3.6 27B natively in VRAM at Q8_0 quantization, achieving approximately 22.7 tokens per second.
Can the Apple M5 Max (48GB) run Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?
Yes. The Apple M5 Max (48GB) runs Llama 3.1 8B Instruct natively in VRAM at FP32 quantization, achieving approximately 19.2 tokens per second.