Device profile · macOS

Best local LLMs for Apple M5 Pro (48GB)

Apple M5 Pro (48GB) has ~32 GB estimated usable for weights, cache and runtime; 129 of 161 tracked models fit at the estimated 4K baseline. Best tool: LM Studio.

127 fit with room 2 tight fit 32 too heavy

Usable memory: ~32 GB
Estimated fits: 129
Too large: 32
Suggested fit: 30.5B

Suggested fit Q4_K_M

Qwen3 30B-A3B Yes

Runs at Q4_K_M using ~20.7 GB of ~32 GB usable.

The suggested model uses recorded Arena scores where available, then estimated fit and speed. Score coverage is partial; it does not establish the best model for every task. Fit is an estimate, not a benchmark on this device.

Set up Qwen3 30B-A3B on this device →

Choose a model before downloading

The 48 GB unified pool has an estimated 32 GB available to the model. Qwen3 14B leaves more room for other apps; Qwen3 32B is a larger option when you can spare the memory.

Estimated Q4_K_M memory: weights + KV cache + runtime overhead. Context is the total token budget.
Model	4K calculation (GB)	16K total (GB)	4K headroom (GB)
Qwen3 14B	9 + 0.9 + 0.8 ≈ 10.7	13.4	21.3
Qwen3 32B	19.8 + 1.4 + 0.8 ≈ 22	26	10

These are calculator estimates, not measured performance or tested setups. More context raises KV-cache use. Start at 4K, check actual runtime memory, and increase only with spare headroom. See the memory assumptions.

Set up Qwen3 14B at 4K →

Estimated memory fits on Apple M5 Pro (48GB)

Compatible models 129 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 M5 Pro (48GB)?

Qwen3 30B-A3B is a suggested fit, using ~20.7 GB at Q4_K_M of the ~32 GB usable on Apple M5 Pro (48GB).

How much of Apple M5 Pro (48GB)'s memory can I use for a model?

About 32 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.