The best local LLM for a Mac mini M5 Pro (48 GB) is Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B at 92 tok/s (estimated). With 48 GB of unified memory it runs 51 of the models in the LLMCheck index — from compact options up to 80B-class models. For everyday chat and coding, Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B is the sweet spot. Full ranking below.
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Mac mini M5 Pro (48GB) on Amazon → · not sure? the Mac Advisor picks a config →
Ranked by LLMCheck suitability (capability balanced against speed on the M5 Pro). Click a model for its full benchmark and setup. Every speed carries its provenance mark: most are index estimates from the memory-bandwidth model, and a filled square is a published measurement — submit a real run →
| # | Model | Size | License | Speed | Capability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B | 35B | Apache 2.0 | estimated92 tok/s | 38/50 |
| 2 | KAT-Coder-V2.5 | 35B | Apache 2.0 | estimated83 tok/s | 39/50 |
| 3 | Qwen3.8-27B | 27.8B | Apache 2.0 | estimated15 tok/s | 46/50 |
| 4 | Qwen 3.6-27B | 27B | Apache 2.0 | estimated15 tok/s | 44/50 |
| 5 | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | 30B | OpenMDW | estimated69 tok/s | 36/50 |
| 6 | Gemma 4 26B-A4B | 26B | Apache 2.0 | estimated72 tok/s | 35/50 |
| 7 | Muse Glimmer 30B | 30B | Apache 2.0 | estimated11 tok/s | 42/50 |
| 8 | Laguna XS 2.1 | 33B | OpenMDW | estimated83 tok/s | 33/50 |
| 9 | Gemma 4 31B | 31B | Apache 2.0 | estimated13 tok/s | 40/50 |
| 10 | Qwen3-Coder-Next | 80B | Apache 2.0 | estimated49 tok/s | 35/50 |
| 11 | Nemotron-Cascade 2 | 30B | NVIDIA Open | estimated83 tok/s | 30/50 |
| 12 | Qwen 3.5 35B-A3B | 35B | Apache 2.0 | estimated83 tok/s | 27/50 |
Showing the top 12 of 51 models that fit in 48 GB. See the full leaderboard or all benchmarks.
The fastest way to get started is Ollama. Install it, then find the top pick for your Mac in its library and copy the exact tag it lists:
Find Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B in the Ollama library → · model card on Hugging Face →
Prefer a GUI? LM Studio gives you a one-click download and chat window. For step-by-step help see our Ollama install guide, or open the Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B on M5 Pro benchmark page for exact settings.
The Mac mini M5 Pro (48 GB) comfortably runs 51 of the models in the LLMCheck index, led by Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B. Grab one and start running LLMs offline today:
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Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B (35B, Apache 2.0) is the best all-round pick at 92 tok/s (estimated) on the M5 Pro. If you want maximum speed, Maple Preview 20B-A1B hits 281 tok/s (published figure); for maximum capability, Qwen3.8-27B still fits in 48 GB.
About 51 of the 91 models in the LLMCheck leaderboard fit in 48 GB of unified memory, from compact models up to Qwen3-Coder-Next (80B).
Yes. A 70B model in Q4 quantization needs roughly 40–44 GB of memory, which fits in 48 GB with headroom for context.
48 GB is plenty for local AI — you can run capable 30B–70B-class models. Because Apple Silicon uses unified memory, that figure is both your system RAM and your VRAM.