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Mac mini M4 32GB vs Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB

For running models locally, priced in Germany. At 128k context the first runs 27 models fully in memory, the second 60.

In short

The Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB has more memory for models: 64 GB against 32 GB. At 128k context the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB runs 60 of the models we track fully in memory and the Mac mini M4 32GB 27; only the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB holds Qwen 3.8 27B. On the models both run fully in memory, the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB is about 4.6× as fast as the Mac mini M4 32GB (estimated, median across models). In Germany the Mac mini M4 32GB costs 1.450 € at eBay (used) and the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB 3.999 € at eBay: the Mac mini M4 32GB is 2.549 € cheaper.

Updated . Speeds are estimates; how they are worked out.

Mac mini M4 32GB

1.450 €

eBay, used (asking)

Add to build
Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB

3.999 €

eBay

Add to build

Specifications

SpecMac mini M4 32GBMac Studio M4 Max 64GB
ChipApple M4 (10-core GPU)Apple M4 Max (40-core GPU)
Memory bus128-bit512-bit
Memory bandwidth120 GB/s546 GB/s
FP16 compute3.76 TFLOPS16.16 TFLOPS
SoftwareMetalMetal
Unified memory32 GB64 GB
GPU can use by default21.3 GB48 GB
GPU can use, tuned24 GB56 GB
Operating systemmacosmacos
ProcessorM4 10-coreM4 Max 16-core
Storage512 GB1000 GB

What each runs

Estimated decode speed with the most precise quant that fits each one est.

ModelMac mini M4 32GBMac Studio M4 Max 64GB
Qwen 3.8 27Bwon't run9tok/sQ8_0
Qwen 3.5 122B-A10Bwon't run32tok/sUD-Q2_K_XL
Qwen 3.6 27Bwon't run10tok/sQ8_0
Gemma 4 31Bwon't run8tok/sQ8_0
Mistral Small 4 119Bwon't run40tok/sUD-Q2_K_XL
Qwen 3.5 27Bwon't run10tok/sQ8_0
Qwen 3.6 35B-A3Bwon't run37tok/sQ8_0
Gemma 4 26B-A4B9tok/sQ4_K_M30tok/sQ8_0
Devstral Small 2 24Bwon't run8tok/sQ8_0
GLM 4.7 Flashwon't run17tok/sQ8_0
Qwen 3.5 35B-A3Bwon't run37tok/sQ8_0
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B-A3Bwon't run51tok/sUD-Q6_K_XL
gpt-oss 20B8tok/sMXFP438tok/sMXFP4
Kimi Linear 48B-A3Bwon't run60tok/sQ6_K
Qwen3 Coder 30B-A3Bwon't run13tok/sQ8_0
Gemma 4 12B5tok/sQ8_023tok/sQ8_0
Qwen 3.5 9B6tok/sQ8_026tok/sQ8_0
Gemma 3 27Bwon't run9tok/sQ8_0
Mistral Small 3.2 24Bwon't run8tok/sQ8_0
Ministral 3 14Bwon't run10tok/sQ8_0
Qwen3 14Bwon't run10tok/sQ8_0
DeepSeek R1 0528 Qwen3 8Bwon't run13tok/sQ8_0
Phi-4 14Bwon't run8tok/sQ8_0
Qwen3 8Bwon't run13tok/sQ8_0
Qwen 3.5 4B9tok/sQ8_040tok/sQ8_0
Granite 4.2 8Bwon't run12tok/sQ8_0
Ministral 3 8Bwon't run13tok/sQ8_0
Gemma 4 E4B7tok/sQ8_030tok/sQ8_0
LFM2.5 8B-A1B6tok/sQ8_028tok/sQ8_0
Llama 3.1 8Bwon't run15tok/sQ6_K
Qwen2.5 0.5B36tok/sQ8_0166tok/sQ8_0
Qwen3.5 0.8B32tok/sQ8_0145tok/sQ8_0
Qwen3.5 2B26tok/sQ5_K_M116tok/sQ5_K_M
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B14tok/sQ8_063tok/sQ8_0
Mellum2.1 12B A2.5B Thinking10tok/sQ8_047tok/sQ8_0
Spark X2.5 4B10tok/smlx-4bit45tok/smlx-4bit
MiniCPM5 2B9tok/sQ8_043tok/sQ8_0
FrogNano 4B 26099tok/sQ8_040tok/sQ8_0
Kimi VL A3B7tok/smlx-6bit29tok/smlx-8bit
LFM2.5 2.6B7tok/sQ8_033tok/sQ8_0
LFM2.5 VL 3B7tok/sQ8_033tok/sQ8_0
Kimi VL A3B Thinking 25067tok/sQ8_030tok/sQ8_0
GLM 4 9B 04146tok/smlx-5bit26tok/smlx-5bit
granite vision 4.1 4b5tok/sQ8_025tok/sQ8_0
granite 4.2 3b5tok/sQ8_024tok/sQ8_0
GLM 4.6V Flash5tok/sQ8_023tok/sQ8_0
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 7B5tok/sQ8_023tok/sQ8_0
GLM 4.1V 9B Thinking5tok/smlx-8bit21tok/smlx-8bit
Ministral 3 3B Instruct 25124tok/sQ8_020tok/sQ8_0
Muse Glimmer 30B4tok/sQ4_K_M10tok/sQ8_0
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8Bwon't run14tok/sQ8_0
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 14Bwon't run9tok/sQ8_0
Devstral Small 2507won't run8tok/sQ8_0
LFM2.5 24B A2Bwon't run17tok/sQ8_0
Magistral Small 2506won't run8tok/sQ8_0
Magistral Small 2507won't run8tok/sQ8_0
Magistral Small 2509won't run8tok/sQ8_0
Ministral 3 14B Reasoning 2512won't run10tok/sQ8_0
Ministral 3 8B Reasoning 2512won't run13tok/sQ8_0
Qwen3.8 27B OBLITERATEDwon't run12tok/smlx-4bit
DeepSeek V4 Flashwon't runwon't run
GLM 5.3 Flashwon't runwon't run
Qwen 3.8 Flash Nextwon't runwon't run
MiniMax M2.7won't runwon't run
Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12Bwon't runwon't run
Qwen3 Coder Nextwon't runwon't run
gpt-oss 120Bwon't runwon't run
GLM 4.5 Airwon't runwon't run
Qwen3 Next 80B-A3Bwon't runwon't run
Qwen3 32Bwon't runwon't run
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32Bwon't runwon't run
Llama 3.3 70Bwon't runwon't run
DeepSeek R1won't runwon't run
DeepSeek R1 0528won't runwon't run
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70Bwon't runwon't run
DeepSeek R1 Zerowon't runwon't run
DeepSeek V3won't runwon't run
DeepSeek V3 0324won't runwon't run
DeepSeek V3.1won't runwon't run
DeepSeek V3.1 Terminuswon't runwon't run
DeepSeek V3.2won't runwon't run
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731won't runwon't run
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Expwon't runwon't run
Devstral 2 123B Instruct 2512won't runwon't run
GLM 4.5won't runwon't run
GLM 4.5Vwon't runwon't run
GLM 4.6won't runwon't run
GLM 4.6Vwon't runwon't run
GLM 4.7won't runwon't run
GLM 5won't runwon't run
GLM 5.1won't runwon't run
GLM 5.2won't runwon't run
GLM 5.3won't runwon't run
Kimi Dev 72Bwon't runwon't run
Kimi K2won't runwon't run
Kimi K2 Instruct 0905won't runwon't run
Kimi K2 Thinkingwon't runwon't run
Kimi K2.5won't runwon't run
MiniMax M2won't runwon't run
MiniMax M2.1won't runwon't run
MiniMax M2.5won't runwon't run
MiniMax M3won't runwon't run
Mistral Medium 3.5 128Bwon't runwon't run
granite 4.2 30bwon't runwon't run

Questions

Which is better for local AI, the Mac mini M4 32GB or the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB?
Choose the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB to run bigger models. Choose the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB for speed. Choose the Mac mini M4 32GB to spend less.
Which can run bigger models, the Mac mini M4 32GB or the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB?
At 128k context the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB runs 60 of the models we track fully in memory and the Mac mini M4 32GB 27; only the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB holds Qwen 3.8 27B.
Which is faster for local AI, the Mac mini M4 32GB or the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB?
On the models both run fully in memory, the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB is about 4.6× as fast as the Mac mini M4 32GB (estimated, median across models).
What is the price difference between the Mac mini M4 32GB and the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB?
In Germany the Mac mini M4 32GB costs 1.450 € at eBay (used) and the Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB 3.999 € at eBay: the Mac mini M4 32GB is 2.549 € cheaper.

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