Mac Studio M5 Max 128 GB vs Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB
Verdict
- throughputThe Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB delivers approximately 58% higher aggregate decode throughput across the 8 models both machines can run (geometric mean of the per-model ratios).
- capacityBoth machines run all 8 compared models, so this is a pure speed and cost decision rather than a capability one.
- costAt 8 hours a day, the Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB has approximately 37% lower total monthly cost (€28 against €45), for a C corporation in United States (federal).
- evidenceEvery throughput figure in this comparison is estimated. Treat the ranking as indicative and the margins as unreliable.
- recommendationThe Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB is both faster and cheaper to own here, so it is the straightforward choice unless you need something specific to the Mac Studio M5 Max 128 GB.
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 M5 Max 128 GB | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (NL, incl. VAT) | €4.323 | €2.702 |
| Memory | 128 GB | 36 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 614 GB/s | 614 GB/s |
| Achieved bandwidth | 538 GB/s (88%) | 538 GB/s (88%) |
| Nominal power | 175 W | 160 W |
| Measured load power | 122 W | 105 W |
| Idle power | 8 W | 7 W |
| Architecture | unified memory | unified memory |
Model performance8 models run on both
Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3BQwen3 30B-A3BGemma 4 26B-A4Bgpt-oss-20bDeepSeek-R1-Distill 32BQwen3 32BGemma 4 31BQwen3.8 27B
| Model | Mac Studio M5 Max 128 GB | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B 30.532B (3.3B active) | ~94.6–136 t/s Q8_0 | ~153–220 t/s Q4_K_M | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB +38% |
| Qwen3 30B-A3B 30.532B (3.3B active) | ~94.6–136 t/s Q8_0 | ~153–220 t/s Q4_K_M | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB +38% |
| Gemma 4 26B-A4B 25.806B (3.8B active) | ~83.4–120 t/s Q8_0 | ~136–195 t/s Q4_K_M | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB +39% |
| gpt-oss-20b 20.915B (3.6B active) | ~158–228 t/s MXFP4 | ~158–228 t/s MXFP4 | Tie (0%) |
| DeepSeek-R1-Distill 32B 32.764B | ~12.5–18 t/s Q8_0 | ~21.6–31.1 t/s Q4_K_M | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB +42% |
| Qwen3 32B 32.762B | ~12.5–18 t/s Q8_0 | ~21.6–31.1 t/s Q4_K_M | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB +42% |
| Gemma 4 31B 31.273B | ~13.1–18.8 t/s Q8_0 | ~22.6–32.6 t/s Q4_K_M | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB +42% |
| Qwen3.8 27B 27.781B | ~14.7–21.1 t/s Q8_0 | ~25.4–36.5 t/s Q4_K_M | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB +42% |
Differences under 10% are reported as a tie: they are smaller than the spread between published benchmarks of the same configuration, so calling a winner would be false precision. Rows where a model fits on only one machine are decided by capacity, not speed.
Economics — United States (federal), C corporation, 8h/day
| Mac Studio M5 Max 128 GB | Mac Studio M5 Max 36 GB | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | $4,323 | $2,702 |
| Reclaimable VAT | $0 | $0 |
| Net cash at purchase | $4,323 | $2,702 |
| Monthly depreciation | $50.44 | $31.52 |
| Monthly electricity | $0.76 (5 kWh) | $0.66 (5 kWh) |
| Tax programme | §179 100.0% | §179 100.0% |
| Tax-programme benefit | $908 | $567 |
| Monthly economic cost | $45.27 | $28.43 |
| Total over 5 years | $2,716 | $1,706 |
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.