Which Mac should you buy for running AI locally?
Short answer
Buy for memory first. A Mac with 16 to 24 GB runs 8B to 14B models well, 64 GB handles 30B-class models comfortably, and a Mac Studio with 128 GB or more is the step up to 70B and large mixture-of-experts models. The Mac Studio's Max and Ultra chips also have the most memory bandwidth, which makes every model answer faster.
Two numbers decide how well a Mac runs local AI:
- Unified memory sets the largest model you can load. See how much memory you need for the math.
- Memory bandwidth sets how fast it answers. Each new word requires reading the whole active model from memory, so double the bandwidth means roughly double the speed.
Chip tiers matter mostly because higher tiers come with more bandwidth and allow more memory: the base chips sit at the bottom, Pro chips roughly double them, Max chips roughly double again, and Ultra chips (two Max chips joined together) double once more.
The Mac Studio (2026)
Apple updated the Mac Studio in August 2026. According to Apple's announcement:
| M5 Max | M5 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Unified memory | Up to 128 GB | Up to 512 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 614 GB/s | 1.2 TB/s |
| Starting price (US) | $2,499 | $5,499 |
Starting prices are for the base memory configuration. Memory upgrades are where most of the cost goes, and memory cannot be added later, so price the configuration you actually need on apple.com.
Matching a Mac to the models you want
| What you want to run | Memory to look for | Typical Macs |
|---|---|---|
| 3B to 8B models: drafting, summaries, quick questions | 16 GB | MacBook Air, base Mac mini |
| 14B to 32B models: solid general use and coding help | 32 to 64 GB | Mac mini or MacBook Pro with a Pro chip |
| 70B-class and mid-sized mixture-of-experts models | 96 to 128 GB | Mac Studio or MacBook Pro with a Max chip |
| The largest open models (200B+) | 256 to 512 GB | Mac Studio with an Ultra chip |
Money-saving tips
- Refurbished and previous generation. Apple's certified refurbished store and older Max and Ultra models offer the same memory for less. An older chip with lots of memory often beats a newer one with less for local AI.
- Don't overspend on storage. Models are a few to a few hundred gigabytes each. A fast external SSD is a cheaper way to keep a large library.
- Desktop over laptop if the machine stays on a desk: a Mac Studio runs cooler and quieter under long AI workloads than a laptop with the same chip.
Our take
If you are starting out, a Mac you already own with 16 GB or more is enough to learn on. When you know which models you rely on, size the next Mac to them with room to grow, because memory is fixed at purchase. For people who want to run the biggest open models at home, the Mac Studio is the machine to save for.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mac Studio worth it for local AI?
If you want to run 70B-class or larger models at a comfortable speed, yes. Its M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips offer up to 128 GB and 512 GB of unified memory with 614 GB/s and 1.2 TB/s of bandwidth, per Apple. For 8B to 14B models, a Mac mini or MacBook is plenty.
Should I buy a Mac or a PC with an NVIDIA graphics card?
A PC with an NVIDIA card is faster for models that fit in the card's memory, typically 16 to 32 GB on consumer cards. A Mac lets the GPU use far more memory, so it can run much larger models on one quiet machine, at lower speed than a multi-GPU rig.