The best local LLM for a Mac Studio M4 Max (128 GB) is Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B at 120 tok/s (estimated). With 128 GB of unified memory it runs 65 of the models in the LLMCheck index — from compact options up to 320B-class models. For everyday chat and coding, Qwen 3.6-35B-A3B is the sweet spot. Full ranking below.
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Mac Studio M4 Max (128GB) on Amazon → · not sure? the Mac Advisor picks a config →
Ranked by LLMCheck suitability (capability balanced against speed on the M4 Max). 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 | estimated120 tok/s | 38/50 |
| 2 | KAT-Coder-V2.5 | 35B | Apache 2.0 | estimated111 tok/s | 39/50 |
| 3 | Qwen3.8-Flash-Next | 125B | Qwen Custom | estimated44 tok/s | 47/50 |
| 4 | GLM-5.3-Flash | 320B | MIT | estimated17 tok/s | 48/50 |
| 5 | DeepSeek V4 Flash | 284B | MIT | estimated22 tok/s | 47/50 |
| 6 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision-Exp | 305B | MIT | estimated22 tok/s | 47/50 |
| 7 | Qwen3.8-27B | 27.8B | Apache 2.0 | estimated26 tok/s | 46/50 |
| 8 | Inkling-Small | 276B | Apache 2.0 | estimated24 tok/s | 46/50 |
| 9 | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | 30B | OpenMDW | estimated97 tok/s | 36/50 |
| 10 | Qwen3-235B-A22B | 235B | Apache 2.0 | estimated13 tok/s | 46/50 |
| 11 | Qwen 3.6-27B | 27B | Apache 2.0 | estimated27 tok/s | 44/50 |
| 12 | Laguna S 2.1 | 118B | OpenMDW | estimated35 tok/s | 43/50 |
Showing the top 12 of 65 models that fit in 128 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 M4 Max benchmark page for exact settings.
The Mac Studio M4 Max (128 GB) comfortably runs 65 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 120 tok/s (estimated) on the M4 Max. If you want maximum speed, Maple Preview 20B-A1B hits 379 tok/s (estimated); for maximum capability, GLM-5.3-Flash still fits in 128 GB.
About 65 of the 91 models in the LLMCheck leaderboard fit in 128 GB of unified memory, from compact models up to GLM-5.3-Flash (320B).
Yes. A 70B model in Q4 quantization needs roughly 40–44 GB of memory, which fits in 128 GB with headroom for context.
128 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.