Canonical Rankings

Best Macs for this model

Llama 3.1 8B ranked across the Mac lineup at the best practical quantization, using the best available runtime evidence. Historical baseline selected; model picker is focused on current-market choices.

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29 ranked MacsUse the strongest current runtime evidence for each row.27 other historical models hiddenBaselinesStatic paths cover only canonical model pages; sort and quantization stay as query state.

Historical baseline selected: Llama 3.1 8B. Default model choices remain current-market; other historical models stay hidden.

Rank	Mac	Score	Quant	Tok/s	Runtime	Fits	Headroom	Context	Evidence	Price	Why it ranks here
1	MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch	737	8bit	138.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 138.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	119.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$5,399	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 138.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 119.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
2	Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB	613	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	247.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$7,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 247.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
3	Mac Pro M2 Ultra 192GB	549	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	183.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$6,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 183.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
4	Mac Studio M4 Max 128GB	485	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	119.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$4,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 119.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
5	MacBook Pro M4 Max 128GB 16-inch	485	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	119.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$5,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 119.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
6	Mac Studio M3 Ultra 96GB	453	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	87.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$3,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 87.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
7	Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB	421	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	55.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$2,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 55.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
8	MacBook Pro M4 Max 64GB 16-inch	421	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	55.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$4,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 55.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
9	Mac Mini M4 Pro 48GB	405	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	39.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$1,599	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 39.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
10	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 14-inch	405	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	39.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$2,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 39.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
11	Mac Studio M4 Max 48GB	405	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	39.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$2,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 39.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
12	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 16-inch	405	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	39.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$2,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 39.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
13	MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 14-inch	405	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	39.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$3,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 39.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
14	MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 16-inch	405	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	39.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$3,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 39.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
15	Mac Studio M4 Max 36GB	393	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	27.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$1,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 27.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
16	MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 14-inch	393	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	27.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$2,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 27.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
17	MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 16-inch	393	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	27.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$3,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 27.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
18	Mac Mini M4 32GB	389	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	23.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$799	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 23.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
19	MacBook Air M4 32GB 13-inch	389	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	23.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$1,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 23.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
20	MacBook Air M4 32GB 15-inch	389	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	23.0 GB	131k	Estimated	$1,699	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 23.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
21	Mac Mini M4 24GB	381	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	15.0 GB	102k	Estimated	$599	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 15.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
22	MacBook Air M4 24GB 13-inch	381	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	15.0 GB	102k	Estimated	$1,299	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 15.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
23	Mac Mini M4 Pro 24GB	381	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	15.0 GB	102k	Estimated	$1,399	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 15.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
24	MacBook Air M4 24GB 15-inch	381	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	15.0 GB	102k	Estimated	$1,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 15.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
25	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 14-inch	381	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	15.0 GB	102k	Estimated	$1,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 15.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
26	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 16-inch	381	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	15.0 GB	102k	Estimated	$2,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 15.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
27	Mac Mini M4 16GB	373	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.0 GB	46k	Estimated	$499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
28	MacBook Air M4 16GB 13-inch	373	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.0 GB	46k	Estimated	$1,099	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
29	MacBook Air M4 16GB 15-inch	373	8bit	75.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 75.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.0 GB	46k	Estimated	$1,299	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 75.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.

Llama 3.1 8B Apple Silicon benchmark and best Macs

Start with the ranked Mac table above, then audit tokens per second, RAM fit, quantization, runtimes, and source links before trusting the model on your Mac.

Quantizations observed: Q4_K - Medium, Q8_0

6Benchmark rows

6Chip tiers covered

138.0Fastest avg tok/s (M5 Max (128 GB))

—Minimum RAM observed

Quick take

Fastest published result is 138.0 tok/s on M5 Max (128 GB) at Q4_K - Medium. Published runtimes include MLX, Ollama. Start with Rankings for the decision, then use the raw rows below to audit the evidence.

Based on 6 external benchmarks; no lab runs yet.

Published runtimes: MLX, Ollama.

Need the best Mac for this model? Use Buy Need a setup-first answer? Use Run Checking whether it fits? Use Fit Browse Macs by exact hardware Need the full audit trail? Use Bench Comparing against rented GPUs? Use AI Datacenter Index

Best Mac shortlist

These are ranked by the fastest published Llama 3.1 8B result available for each Mac's chip family. Use them as the search answer, then open the machine page before buying.

Fastest published Mac-family result

MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch maps to 138.0 tok/s from the strongest published chip-family row for Llama 3.1 8B.

Open MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch · Audit evidence

Shortlist rank 2

Mac Mini M4 16GB maps to 75.0 tok/s from the strongest published chip-family row for Llama 3.1 8B.

Open Mac Mini M4 16GB · Audit evidence

Shortlist rank 3

Mac Mini M4 24GB maps to 75.0 tok/s from the strongest published chip-family row for Llama 3.1 8B.

Open Mac Mini M4 24GB · Audit evidence

Model search answers

How fast is Llama 3.1 8B on Mac?

Llama 3.1 8B currently has a fastest published Mac result of 138.0 tok/s on M5 Max (128 GB) at Q4_K - Medium. Check the raw rows on this page before comparing that number to a different runtime, quantization, or context length.

What is the best Mac for Llama 3.1 8B?

MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch is the fastest published Mac-family answer for Llama 3.1 8B on this page right now, at 138.0 tok/s from its chip family. Treat that as a published benchmark starting point, not a universal buying recommendation.

Does Llama 3.1 8B fit on Apple Silicon?

Llama 3.1 8B does not yet have a published minimum-RAM fit row on this page. Use Fit before assuming it will run cleanly on a specific Mac.

Catalog record

8.0BTotal params

DenseActive params

131,072Context window

2024-07-23Release date

This is a reference-only model record. It remains useful for historical benchmarks, migration checks, and audit context, but it is excluded from current frontier packs.

What this model is, and what Apple Silicon users are actually seeing

Official model cards tell you what the model is for and which software stacks it targets. Field reality below shows how much Apple Silicon evidence we have so far.

Official brief

Llama 3.1 8B official metadata records LlamaForCausalLM architecture, 8.03B total parameters, and LLAMA3.1 license.

Official source

Runtime support mentioned

Transformers

Official specs

Architecture: LlamaForCausalLM.
Total parameters: 8.03B.
License: LLAMA3.1.

Official model cards describe intent, capabilities, and supported stacks. They do not prove Apple Silicon speed by themselves.

Field reality on Apple Silicon

No structured Apple Silicon field speed reports yet. Llama 3.1 8B. It is not yet published in the current frontier packs. Benchmark evidence includes 58 Apple Silicon benchmark rows. 1 official model brief captured. 2 fetched artifacts. No curated practitioner signals yet. No structured Apple Silicon field speed reports yet.

58Benchmark rows

0Field reports

0Practitioner signals

Sparse BenchmarksEvidence status

Current published coverage

Published chip coverage includes M5 Max (128 GB), M5 Max (64 GB), M4 (16 GB), M3 Pro (18 GB), M2 (8 GB) plus 1 more chip tier. Fastest published row is 138.0 tok/s on M5 Max (128 GB) at Q4_K - Medium.

M5 Max (128 GB)M5 Max (64 GB)M4 (16 GB)M3 Pro (18 GB)M2 (8 GB)M1 (16 GB)

Raw benchmark rows for Llama 3.1 8B

Rows stay below the ranking because this page is answer-first. Use them to inspect exact chips, quantizations, runtimes, and sources.

Chip	Quant	RAM req.	Context	Avg tok/s	Prompt tok/s	Runtime	Source
M5 Max (128 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	138.0 tok/s	—	MLX	ref
M5 Max (64 GB)	Q8_0	—	—	82.0 tok/s	—	Ollama	ref
M4 (16 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	75.0 tok/s	—	Ollama	ref
M3 Pro (18 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	62.0 tok/s	—	Ollama	ref
M2 (8 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	48.0 tok/s	—	Ollama	ref
M1 (16 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	40.0 tok/s	—	Ollama	ref

Chips with published results for Llama 3.1 8B

M5 Max (128 GB)M5 Max (64 GB)M4 (16 GB)M3 Pro (18 GB)M2 (8 GB)M1 (16 GB)

Data

benchmarks.json — full dataset · models.json — model summaries · benchmarks.csv — CSV export

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