Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max, 32-core GPU) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Max, 32-core GPU)
The cheapest Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Max, 32-core GPU) lists for about $1,600 more than the cheapest Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max, 32-core GPU). Rows where the two differ are tinted.
Apple unified memory
Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max, 32-core GPU)
The entry Mac Studio with the binned M5 Max. It is sold only with 36GB, so it suits small and mid-size models rather than the large ones Mac Studio buyers usually want.
gpt-oss-20b, 4-bit: 105 tok/s
Apple unified memory
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Max, 32-core GPU)
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the cut-down M5 Max: a 32-core GPU, 460GB/s and only one memory size, 36GB. That holds dense models up to about 30B at 4-bit, or a 35B MoE such as Qwen3.6 35B-A3B.
gpt-oss-20b, 4-bit: 105 tok/s
| Specification | Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max, 32-core GPU) | Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Max, 32-core GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Apple unified memory · Apple | Apple unified memory · Apple |
| Chip or GPUs | M5 Max (18-core CPU, 32-core GPU) | M5 Max (18-core CPU, 32-core GPU) |
| Memory | 36 GB | 36 GB |
| Memory for models | 24 GB (Default GPU limit)assumption | 24 GB (Default GPU limit)assumption |
| Other memory figure | 28 GB (Limit raised with sysctl)assumption | 28 GB (Limit raised with sysctl)assumption |
| Memory bandwidth | 460 GB/s | 460 GB/s |
| Price | ~$2,499 | ~$4,099 |
| Largest at 4-bit, 8k context | Qwen3.6 35B-A3B | Qwen3.6 35B-A3B |
| Software | Metal, MLX | Metal, MLX |
| Power | 480 W | 96 W |
What each one runs
Every model in the catalog that at least one of the two holds at 4-bit with 8,192 tokens of context. Copper speeds are measured medians; outlined ones are estimates. Rows where only one fits, or where the speed differs by more than a quarter, are tinted.
| Model | Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max, 32-core GPU) | Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Max, 32-core GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B-A3B30B, 3B active · 23.7 GB file | Fits with raised limitassumed limit~60–107 tok/sestimate | Fits with raised limitassumed limit~60–107 tok/sestimate |
| Qwen3.6 35B-A3B35B, 3B active · 20.8 GB file | ~80–143 tok/sestimate | ~80–143 tok/sestimate |
| Ornith 1.5 35B-A3B35B, 3B active · 20.2 GB file | ~82–147 tok/sestimate | ~82–147 tok/sestimate |
| Qwen3 Coder 30B-A3B Instruct30.5B, 3.3B active · 17.3 GB file | ~76–136 tok/sestimate | ~76–136 tok/sestimate |
| Gemma 4 31B IT30.7B · 17.1 GB file | ~18–23 tok/sestimate | ~18–23 tok/sestimate |
| Granite 4.2 30B29.3B · 16.8 GB file | ~19–23 tok/sestimate | ~19–23 tok/sestimate |
| Qwen3.8 27B27B · 16.2 GB file | ~19–24 tok/sestimate | ~19–24 tok/sestimate |
| Gemma 4 26B-A4B IT25.2B, 3.8B active · 15.9 GB file | ~60–106 tok/sestimate | ~60–106 tok/sestimate |
| Qwen3.6 27B27B · 15.7 GB file | ~20–25 tok/sestimate | ~20–25 tok/sestimate |
| Devstral Small 2 24B (2512)24B · 13.3 GB file | 28 tok/smedian of 1 run | 28 tok/smedian of 1 run |
| gpt-oss-20b21B, 3.6B active · 10.8 GB file | 105 tok/smedian of 3 runs | 105 tok/smedian of 3 runs |
| Phi-414.7B · 8.3 GB file | ~38–47 tok/sestimate | ~38–47 tok/sestimate |
| Ministral 3 14B Reasoning (2512)13.9B · 7.7 GB file | ~41–51 tok/sestimate | ~41–51 tok/sestimate |
| Gemma 4 12B IT11.95B · 6.6 GB file | ~47–59 tok/sestimate | ~47–59 tok/sestimate |
| Qwen3.5 9B9B · 5.3 GB file | ~59–74 tok/sestimate | ~59–74 tok/sestimate |
| Granite 4.2 8B8.8B · 5.2 GB file | ~61–76 tok/sestimate | ~61–76 tok/sestimate |
| Gemma 4 E4B IT8B · 5.0 GB file | ~111–138 tok/sestimate | ~111–138 tok/sestimate |
| Qwen3 8B8.2B · 4.7 GB file | ~67–84 tok/sestimate | ~67–84 tok/sestimate |
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct8B · 4.6 GB file | 75 tok/smedian of 2 runs | 75 tok/smedian of 2 runs |
| Qwen3.5 4B4B · 2.6 GB file | ~123–153 tok/sestimate | ~123–153 tok/sestimate |
Full pages: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max, 32-core GPU) · Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Max, 32-core GPU) · check a different quant or context length