Canonical Rankings

Best Macs for this model

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B 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: DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B. 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	Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB	317	8bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	187.2 GB	131k	Estimated	$7,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 187.2 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
2	Mac Pro M2 Ultra 192GB	253	8bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	123.2 GB	131k	Estimated	$6,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 123.2 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
3	Mac Studio M4 Max 128GB	189	8bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	59.2 GB	131k	Estimated	$4,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 59.2 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
4	MacBook Pro M4 Max 128GB 16-inch	189	8bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	59.2 GB	131k	Estimated	$5,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 59.2 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
5	MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch	169	8bit	11.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 11.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	59.2 GB	131k	Estimated	$5,399	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 11.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 59.2 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
6	Mac Studio M3 Ultra 96GB	157	8bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	27.2 GB	50k	Estimated	$3,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 27.2 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
7	Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB	136	6bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 6bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	11.7 GB	15k	Estimated	$2,999	6bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 11.7 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
8	MacBook Pro M4 Max 64GB 16-inch	136	6bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 6bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	11.7 GB	15k	Estimated	$4,499	6bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 11.7 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
9	Mac Mini M4 Pro 48GB	125	Q4_K_M	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: Q4_K_M · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.4 GB	9k	Estimated	$1,599	Q4_K_M is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
10	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 14-inch	125	Q4_K_M	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: Q4_K_M · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.4 GB	9k	Estimated	$2,499	Q4_K_M is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
11	Mac Studio M4 Max 48GB	125	Q4_K_M	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: Q4_K_M · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.4 GB	9k	Estimated	$2,499	Q4_K_M is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
12	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 16-inch	125	Q4_K_M	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: Q4_K_M · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.4 GB	9k	Estimated	$2,999	Q4_K_M is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
13	MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 14-inch	125	Q4_K_M	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: Q4_K_M · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.4 GB	9k	Estimated	$3,499	Q4_K_M is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
14	MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 16-inch	125	Q4_K_M	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: Q4_K_M · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	7.4 GB	9k	Estimated	$3,999	Q4_K_M is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
15	Mac Studio M4 Max 36GB	96	3bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	8.3 GB	18k	Estimated	$1,999	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 8.3 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
16	MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 14-inch	96	3bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	8.3 GB	18k	Estimated	$2,999	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 8.3 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
17	MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 16-inch	96	3bit	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	8.3 GB	18k	Estimated	$3,499	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 8.3 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
18	Mac Mini M4 32GB	95	mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	6.8 GB	15k	Estimated	$799	mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 6.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
19	MacBook Air M4 32GB 13-inch	95	mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	6.8 GB	15k	Estimated	$1,499	mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 6.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
20	MacBook Air M4 32GB 15-inch	95	mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	6.8 GB	15k	Estimated	$1,699	mlx-dynamic-2.7bpw is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 6.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
21	Mac Mini M4 24GB	92	IQ2_K_S	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	3.7 GB	9k	Estimated	$599	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 3.7 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
22	MacBook Air M4 24GB 13-inch	92	IQ2_K_S	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	3.7 GB	9k	Estimated	$1,299	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 3.7 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
23	Mac Mini M4 Pro 24GB	92	IQ2_K_S	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	3.7 GB	9k	Estimated	$1,399	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 3.7 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
24	MacBook Air M4 24GB 15-inch	92	IQ2_K_S	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	3.7 GB	9k	Estimated	$1,499	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 3.7 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
25	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 14-inch	92	IQ2_K_S	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	3.7 GB	9k	Estimated	$1,999	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 3.7 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
26	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 16-inch	92	IQ2_K_S	16.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 16.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	3.7 GB	9k	Estimated	$2,499	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 16.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 3.7 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
27	Mac Mini M4 16GB	0	F32	—	Ollama	No	-250.0 GB	—	Estimated	$499	DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B does not fit on Mac Mini M4 16GB at the current practical quantization.
28	MacBook Air M4 16GB 13-inch	0	F32	—	Ollama	No	-250.0 GB	—	Estimated	$1,099	DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B does not fit on MacBook Air M4 16GB 13-inch at the current practical quantization.
29	MacBook Air M4 16GB 15-inch	0	F32	—	Ollama	No	-250.0 GB	—	Estimated	$1,299	DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B does not fit on MacBook Air M4 16GB 15-inch at the current practical quantization.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B — ranking first, raw rows below

Start with the ranked Mac table above. Use the rest of this page to inspect raw Apple Silicon coverage and model metadata.

Quantizations observed: Q4_K - Medium

2Benchmark rows

2Chip tiers covered

16.0Fastest avg tok/s (M4 Ultra (192 GB))

—Minimum RAM observed

Quick take

Fastest published result is 16.0 tok/s on M4 Ultra (192 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 2 external benchmarks; no lab runs yet.

Published runtimes: MLX, Ollama.

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Catalog record

70.6BTotal params

DenseActive params

131,072Context window

2025-01-20Release 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

We demonstrate that the reasoning patterns of larger models can be distilled into smaller models, resulting in better performance compared to the reasoning patterns discovered through RL on small models.

Official source · Raw model card

codingreasoning

Runtime support mentioned

vLLMSGLangTransformers

Official specs

Base model: Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct.
Distillation source: DeepSeek-R1.
License: MIT.
Architecture: LlamaForCausalLM.
Context: 131072 tokens.
Layers: 80.

Official takeaways

DeepSeek-R1-Zero, a model trained via large-scale reinforcement learning (RL) without supervised fine-tuning (SFT) as a preliminary step, demonstrated remarkable performance on reasoning.
We demonstrate that the reasoning patterns of larger models can be distilled into smaller models, resulting in better performance compared to the reasoning patterns discovered through RL on small models.
Please visit DeepSeek-V3 repo for more information about running DeepSeek-R1 locally.
Distillation: Smaller Models Can Be Powerful Too We introduce our first-generation reasoning models, DeepSeek-R1-Zero and DeepSeek-R1.

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

Field reality on Apple Silicon

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B: 2 Apple Silicon field reports; best reported generation ~11.41 tok/s; best reported prompt processing ~3.54 tok/s; seen on M4 MAX 128GB; via LM Studio, Ollama.

2Benchmark rows

2Field reports

2Practitioner signals

Sparse BenchmarksEvidence status

What practitioners keep saying

The M4 Max 128GB reply reports the 70B 4-bit MLX model in LM Studio at 11.41 tok/s generation over 2639 tokens with 1.01s to first token.
Treat the LM Studio result as a runtime-path signal; it still needs first-party reproduction before it can shape ranking confidence.
An M4 Max 128GB reply reports deepseek-r1:70b-llama-distill-q4_K_M in Ollama at 8.77 tok/s generation, 3.54 tok/s prompt eval, 2032 eval tokens, and 15 prompt tokens.

Apple Silicon field sources

r/LocalLLaMA
2025-01-21 · M4 Max 128GB · LM Studio, Ollama
The same M4 Max 128GB reply reports a faster LM Studio MLX path for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B than the Ollama Q4_K_M run.

Runtime mentions in the field

LM StudioMLXOllama

Hardware mentioned in reports

128GBM4

What would improve confidence

Expand Cross Chip Benchmark Coverage
Reproduce Field Performance Signal
Upgrade To First Party Measurement

Current published coverage

Published chip coverage includes M4 Ultra (192 GB), M5 Max (128 GB). Fastest published row is 16.0 tok/s on M4 Ultra (192 GB) at Q4_K - Medium.

M4 Ultra (192 GB)M5 Max (128 GB)

Related DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama models with published pages: DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B · DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B

Raw benchmark rows for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B

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
M4 Ultra (192 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	16.0 tok/s	—	MLX	ref
M5 Max (128 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	11.0 tok/s	—	Ollama	ref

Best Macs for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B

Ordered by fastest published tok/s on the chip family in each Mac. Click through for the full machine page.

MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch — 11.0 tok/s

Chips with published results for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B

M4 Ultra (192 GB)M5 Max (128 GB)

Data

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

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