Side-by-side simulation · recommended settings
Mac Studio M5 Max vs M5 Ultra: Do local LLMs need Ultra?
For workloads within 128GB, compare how much waiting is reduced on the same model first. If the goal is a model needing 256GB or several resident models, include Ultra's capacity in the decision.
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 M5 Max 128GB
Press Start above to generate the same answer on both devices.
Right
ReadyStudio M5 Ultra 256GB
Press Start above to generate the same answer on both devices.
With these settings, Studio M5 Ultra 256GB finishes the full answer About 5.1× faster.
Compare from input processing to completion of 117 token response.
Which one fits my needs?
Answer completion
Studio M5 Ultra 256GB
At the estimate midpoint, it finishes the same answer about 5.1× faster.
Prompt processing
Studio M5 Ultra 256GB
The estimated input-processing midpoint is higher at 4,949 tok/s.
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 / oMLX 0.7.0 (4d4f5a28) · mlx-lm 94cdcae · mlx 0.32.2 · native kernels · Lightning MTP on. When runtime paths differ, the speed gap also includes software and model-format differences.
Estimated power draw
Studio M5 Max 128GB
Estimated LLM power draw is lower at about 165 W. Noise and physical size need a separate check.
Local pricing
Studio M5 Ultra 256GB costs about 939 × KRW 10,000 more at the reference-price midpoint, with an estimated answer time about 81% shorter.
Before choosing hardware
| Measure | Studio M5 Max 128GB | Studio M5 Ultra 256GB |
|---|---|---|
| Available fast memory | 114GB | 236GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 614GB/s | 1200GB/s |
| Estimated total time | 8.4 seconds | 1.6 s |
| Estimated sustained LLM load | about 165W | about 300W |
| Korean price range (KRW) | 922–1,050 × KRW 10,000 | 1,850–2,000 × KRW 10,000 |
Estimated ranges for one user. Multi-GPU and multi-device results depend on the runtime and interconnect.
Separate large-model capacity from small-model speed
There are two main reasons to choose Ultra: fitting a model beyond Max's capacity or reducing waiting on a model that fits both. Run the everyday model on both, then select one that was difficult on Max because of memory. The two results separate the need for capacity from speed.
Match oMLX and the model format
The recommended Mac path depends on both engine version and model-specific acceleration. Check the oMLX, quantization and MTP labels, then prepare the corresponding file. Update an existing Max's runtime before comparing to distinguish waits requiring new hardware from those reduced through settings.
Weigh the price difference against repeated waits
A few short questions per day and continuous code or report processing justify cost differently. Compare first response and completion at your usual context length, then consider how often that benefit matters. If memory currently prevents a workload, include the value of making that work possible.