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Device profile · macOS

Best local LLMs for Apple M4 Max (64GB)

Apple M4 Max (64GB) has ~48 GB usable for model weights and runs 109 of 135 popular models. Best tool: LM Studio.

108 run well 1 tight fit 26 too heavy
Usable memory
~48 GB
Models run
109
Too large
26
Top pick
30.5B
Top pick Q4_K_M

Runs at Q4_K_M using ~20.7 GB of ~48 GB usable. You have room for Q8_0 for higher quality.

Runs on Apple M4 Max (64GB)

Compatible models 109 total

Best way to run models on macOS

Runtime guide macOS

Beginner: LM Studio, Polished GUI, ships MLX on Apple Silicon, one-click model downloads.

Power user: mlx-lm, Apple's MLX framework, usually the fastest on Apple Silicon for the same quant.

vLLM is NOT a Mac tool, it is a CUDA/Linux serving engine. Unified memory is not a fixed VRAM slice; ~70% is usable for weights.

Full macOS tool guide →

FAQ

What is the best local LLM for Apple M4 Max (64GB)?

Qwen3 30B-A3B is the strongest model that runs comfortably, using ~20.7 GB at Q4_K_M of the ~48 GB usable on Apple M4 Max (64GB).

How much of Apple M4 Max (64GB)'s memory can I use for a model?

About 48 GB. Apple Silicon shares one unified memory pool; roughly 66-75% is available to the GPU for model weights, the rest is reserved for macOS.

Which tool should I use on macOS?

LM Studio (Polished GUI, ships MLX on Apple Silicon, one-click model downloads.) or mlx-lm for speed. vLLM is NOT a Mac tool, it is a CUDA/Linux serving engine. Unified memory is not a fixed VRAM slice; ~70% is usable for weights.

Compare nearby devices

Hardware with a similar usable pool, and how many of the 135 tracked models each runs next to Apple M4 Max (64GB)'s 109.

Sources

Memory figures are estimates. See methodology.