Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128 GB vs MacBook Pro M3 Max 128 GB
M1 Ultra has 128 GB memory, 800 GB/s bandwidth; MacBook Pro M3 Max has 128 GB memory, 400 GB/s bandwidth. Compare model compatibility, like-for-like tokens/sec and ownership cost below.
Verdict
- throughputNo valid like-for-like performance comparison is available. The practical configurations below differ in quantization, runtime, context, settings, or evidence type, so their speed difference must not be attributed to hardware alone.
- capacityBoth machines run all 8 compared models in their best practical configurations. Compare their quantizations and evidence labels before treating any throughput difference as a hardware result.
- costAt 8 hours a day, the MacBook Pro M3 Max 128 GB has approximately NaN% lower total monthly cost ($0 against $0), for a C corporation in United States (federal).
- evidenceThere are no comparable throughput rows, so this page makes no hardware-speed ranking. Practical deployment figures remain useful for fit planning but answer a different question.
- recommendationThroughput is close enough to be a wash, so this comes down to cost and capacity: the MacBook Pro M3 Max 128 GB is cheaper to own, and capacity differences above decide which models you can run at all.
Every statement above is generated from the calculations on this page by fixed rules — no prose is written for individual comparisons. If the numbers change, the verdict changes with them.
Hardware
| Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128 GB | MacBook Pro M3 Max 128 GB | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | — | — |
| Memory | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 800 GB/s | 400 GB/s |
| Usable bandwidth indicator | 560 GB/s (70%) | 280 GB/s (70%) |
| Nominal power | — | — |
| Measured load power | — | — |
| Idle power | — | — |
| Architecture | unified memory | unified memory |
Like-for-like performance0 comparable models
Ternary Bonsai 2 27BDeepSeek-V4.1 FlashDeepSeek-V4 FlashQwen3.8 Flash NextMixtral 8x22BQwen3.5 122B-A10BNemotron 3 Super 120B-A12BMistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B
| Model | Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128 GB | MacBook Pro M3 Max 128 GB | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B 27.36B | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| DeepSeek-V4.1 Flash 763.205B (16B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| DeepSeek-V4 Flash 304.18B (13B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Qwen3.8 Flash Next 180B (6B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Mixtral 8x22B 140.63B (39B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Qwen3.5 122B-A10B 125.086B (10B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12B 123.611B (12B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B 119.401B (6.5B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
Hardware deltas are calculated only when quantization, runtime, exact context, execution/decode mode and relevant inference settings match. Measured and estimated results are never compared to each other. A difference under 10% is reported as a tie.
Best practical configuration
| Model | Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128 GB | MacBook Pro M3 Max 128 GB | Practical result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B | — PTQ1_0 · estimated | — PTQ1_0 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| DeepSeek-V4.1 Flash | — DS4 V4.1 Q2 (SSD) · estimated | — DS4 V4.1 Q2 (SSD) · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| DeepSeek-V4 Flash | — DS4 Q2 (mixed) · estimated | — DS4 Q2 (mixed) · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Qwen3.8 Flash Next | — MLX 4-bit · estimated | — MLX 4-bit · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Mixtral 8x22B | — Q4_K_M · estimated | — Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Qwen3.5 122B-A10B | — Q4_K_M · estimated | — Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12B | — Q4_K_M · estimated | — Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B | — Q5_K_M · estimated | — Q5_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
This is a deployment comparison: each machine uses its own recommended configuration. Different quantizations can change speed and quality, so these figures are not raw hardware benchmarks.
Economics — United States (federal), C corporation, 8h/day
| Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128 GB | MacBook Pro M3 Max 128 GB | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | — | — |
| Reclaimable VAT | $0 | $0 |
| Net cash at purchase | $0 | $0 |
| Monthly depreciation | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Monthly electricity | $0.00 (0 kWh) | $0.00 (0 kWh) |
| Tax programme | §179 100.0% | §179 100.0% |
| Tax-programme benefit | $0 | $0 |
| Monthly economic cost | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total over 5 years | $0 | $0 |
Purchase prices are localized inputs in USD: tax/VAT excluded for Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128 GB and tax/VAT excluded for MacBook Pro M3 Max 128 GB. Net cash and monthly economic cost then apply the selected United States (federal) / C corporation tax treatment. Tax assumptions last verified 2026-09-07. Federal planning estimate only, not tax advice. State and local income tax, sales/use tax and incentives are excluded. It assumes 100% business use, a Section 179 election, enough business income to use it, and that the full annual limit remains available.