Side-by-side simulation · recommended settings
Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB vs 128GB: How much for local AI?
Start with 64GB if one model and your usual apps fit. For larger resident models or frequent model switching, check whether 128GB reduces reloading and memory shortages.
Choose devices and a model
Expand comparison settings
Same 117output tokens. Only evidence-qualified acceleration is selected automatically; runtime formats are shown on each device.
Left
ReadyStudio M4 Max 64GB
Press Start above to generate the same answer on both devices.
Right
ReadyStudio M4 Max 128GB
Press Start above to generate the same answer on both devices.
With these settings, total timeis similar on both devices.
Compare from input processing to completion of 117 token response.
Which one fits my needs?
Answer completion
Similar
Total answer time is similar with these settings.
Prompt processing
Similar
Prefill performance is similar at this input length.
Image and video generation
Check the media model
LLM speed does not tell you media-generation performance. Choose the image or video model and resolution separately.
Runtime
Settings for your hardware
MLX 4-bit / MLX 4-bit. When runtime paths differ, the speed gap also includes software and model-format differences.
Estimated power draw
Studio M4 Max 64GB
Estimated LLM power draw is lower at about 120 W. Noise and physical size need a separate check.
Local pricing
Studio M4 Max 64GB is about 325 × KRW 10,000 cheaper based on the median price. If the speeds are similar, the cheaper one is the balancing choice.
Before choosing hardware
| Measure | Studio M4 Max 64GB | Studio M4 Max 128GB |
|---|---|---|
| Available fast memory | 56GB | 114GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 546GB/s | 546GB/s |
| Estimated total time | 4.5 s | 4.5 s |
| Estimated sustained LLM load | about 120W | about 130W |
| Korean price range (KRW) | 509–509 × KRW 10,000 | 780–888 × KRW 10,000 |
Estimated ranges for one user. Multi-GPU and multi-device results depend on the runtime and interconnect.
Will you keep frequently used models resident?
If every model switch means waiting for a load, switching time matters alongside answer speed. Decide whether to keep one large model or several smaller ones resident. The 128GB configuration leaves more room for that workflow. oMLX's pinning and unload settings can also reveal waiting you can reduce with current capacity.
Include workloads with growing conversation history
A short first question may not reveal the capacity difference. Compare long documents and follow-up questions that require a larger KV cache. Check that requests finish while other apps are open to choose memory for the work you actually do.
The extra cost buys capacity on the same chip
This pair compares memory options on M4 Max. If the goal is a substantial speed improvement on the same model, open comparisons with a higher-tier chip or another device. Allocate the extra budget after deciding whether the required improvement is capacity or faster computation.