Canonical Rankings

Best Macs for this model

Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E ranked across the Mac lineup at the best practical quantization, using the best available runtime evidence. Model picker is focused on current-market choices.

Model

Quantization

Sort

Runtime

29 ranked MacsUse the strongest current runtime evidence for each row.28 historical models hiddenBaselinesStatic paths cover only canonical model pages; sort and quantization stay as query state.

Rank	Mac	Score	Quant	Tok/s	Runtime	Fits	Headroom	Context	Evidence	Price	Why it ranks here
1	Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB	323	8bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	152.5 GB	631k	Estimated	$7,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 152.5 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
2	Mac Pro M2 Ultra 192GB	259	8bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	88.5 GB	334k	Estimated	$6,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 88.5 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
3	Mac Studio M4 Max 128GB	195	8bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	24.5 GB	37k	Estimated	$4,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 24.5 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
4	MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch	195	8bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 26.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	24.5 GB	37k	Estimated	$5,399	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 24.5 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
5	MacBook Pro M4 Max 128GB 16-inch	195	8bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	24.5 GB	37k	Estimated	$5,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 24.5 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
6	Mac Studio M3 Ultra 96GB	182	6bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 6bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	17.9 GB	27k	Estimated	$3,999	6bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 17.9 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
7	Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB	168	q4.1bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: q4.1bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	10.0 GB	10k	Estimated	$2,999	q4.1bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 10.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
8	MacBook Pro M4 Max 64GB 16-inch	168	q4.1bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: q4.1bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	10.0 GB	10k	Estimated	$4,499	q4.1bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 10.0 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
9	Mac Mini M4 Pro 48GB	136	3bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.9 GB	12k	Estimated	$1,599	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.9 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
10	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 14-inch	136	3bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.9 GB	12k	Estimated	$2,499	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.9 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
11	Mac Studio M4 Max 48GB	136	3bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.9 GB	12k	Estimated	$2,499	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.9 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
12	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 16-inch	136	3bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.9 GB	12k	Estimated	$2,999	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.9 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
13	MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 14-inch	136	3bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.9 GB	12k	Estimated	$3,499	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.9 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
14	MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 16-inch	136	3bit	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 3bit · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.9 GB	12k	Estimated	$3,999	3bit is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.9 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
15	Mac Studio M4 Max 36GB	135	IQ2_K_S	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.4 GB	19k	Estimated	$1,999	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
16	MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 14-inch	135	IQ2_K_S	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.4 GB	19k	Estimated	$2,999	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
17	MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 16-inch	135	IQ2_K_S	26.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: IQ2_K_S · 26.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	7.4 GB	19k	Estimated	$3,499	IQ2_K_S is the current best practical quantization. 26.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 7.4 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
18	Mac Mini M4 16GB	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-392.1 GB	—	Estimated	$499	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on Mac Mini M4 16GB at the current practical quantization.
19	Mac Mini M4 24GB	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-384.1 GB	—	Estimated	$599	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on Mac Mini M4 24GB at the current practical quantization.
20	Mac Mini M4 32GB	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-376.1 GB	—	Estimated	$799	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on Mac Mini M4 32GB at the current practical quantization.
21	MacBook Air M4 16GB 13-inch	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-392.1 GB	—	Estimated	$1,099	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on MacBook Air M4 16GB 13-inch at the current practical quantization.
22	MacBook Air M4 24GB 13-inch	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-384.1 GB	—	Estimated	$1,299	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on MacBook Air M4 24GB 13-inch at the current practical quantization.
23	MacBook Air M4 16GB 15-inch	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-392.1 GB	—	Estimated	$1,299	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on MacBook Air M4 16GB 15-inch at the current practical quantization.
24	Mac Mini M4 Pro 24GB	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-384.1 GB	—	Estimated	$1,399	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on Mac Mini M4 Pro 24GB at the current practical quantization.
25	MacBook Air M4 32GB 13-inch	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-376.1 GB	—	Estimated	$1,499	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on MacBook Air M4 32GB 13-inch at the current practical quantization.
26	MacBook Air M4 24GB 15-inch	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-384.1 GB	—	Estimated	$1,499	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on MacBook Air M4 24GB 15-inch at the current practical quantization.
27	MacBook Air M4 32GB 15-inch	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-376.1 GB	—	Estimated	$1,699	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on MacBook Air M4 32GB 15-inch at the current practical quantization.
28	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 14-inch	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-384.1 GB	—	Estimated	$1,999	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 14-inch at the current practical quantization.
29	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 16-inch	0	F32	—	MLX	No	-384.1 GB	—	Estimated	$2,499	Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E does not fit on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 16-inch at the current practical quantization.

Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E — 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

3Benchmark rows

2Chip tiers covered

30.0Fastest avg tok/s (M4 Ultra (192 GB))

—Minimum RAM observed

Quick take

Fastest published result is 30.0 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 3 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

Catalog record

109BTotal params

17BActive params

10,000,000Context window

2025-04-05Release date

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

The Llama 4 Models are a collection of pretrained and instruction-tuned mixture-of-experts LLMs offered in two sizes: Llama 4 Scout & Llama 4 Maverick. These models are optimized for multimodal understanding, multilingual tasks, coding, tool-calling, and powering agentic systems.

Official source

agentscodingreasoningvisual-understanding

Official specs

Architecture: Mixture of experts.
Active parameters: 17B.
Total parameters: 109B.
Experts: 16 total.
Context: 10M tokens.
Modalities: Text and up to 5 images input, text-only output.

Official takeaways

These models are optimized for multimodal understanding, multilingual tasks, coding, tool-calling, and powering agentic systems.
Arabic, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
The Llama 4 Models are a collection of pretrained and instruction-tuned mixture-of-experts LLMs offered in two sizes: Llama 4 Scout & Llama 4 Maverick.

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

Field reality on Apple Silicon

Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E: 2 practitioner claims; 2 captured from fetched artifacts; hardware mentions: Mac; runtime mentions: LM Studio, MLX, Ollama, oMLX; themes: apple_silicon_viability, coding_quality, fit_and_memory, operational_caution, runtime_tuning; includes operational caveats.

3Benchmark rows

0Field reports

2Practitioner signals

Sparse BenchmarksEvidence status

What practitioners keep saying

The report says the local fleet runs via Ollama on Apple Silicon M-series unified memory and lists Llama 4 Scout at about 67GB.
It does not publish Llama 4 Scout throughput, exact Mac hardware, quantization, context, or quality scores, so it should remain workflow-interest evidence rather than field-speed evidence.
The LM Studio card says the text 4-bit MLX package was converted from Meta's Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct using mlx-lm 0.22.4 and exposes a load/generate example for MLX.

Apple Silicon field sources

r/LocalLLaMA
2026-03-23 · Apple Silicon M-series unified memory · Ollama
A LocalLLaMA operator reports keeping Llama 4 Scout in an Ollama-based Apple Silicon local fleet, but describes it as still under evaluation rather than as a measured recommendation.
Lmstudio Community Hugging Face model cards
2025-04-07 · MLX 4-bit package footprint 60.6GB · LM Studio / MLX
Llama 4 Scout has an auditable 4-bit MLX text conversion with a 60.6GB MLX hardware-compatibility footprint, but the May 5 refresh found no row-level Apple Silicon community throughput beyond trusted-reference LLMCheck rows.

Runtime mentions in the field

LM StudioMLXOllamaoMLX

Hardware mentioned in reports

Mac

What would improve confidence

Upgrade To First Party Measurement

Current published coverage

Published chip coverage includes M4 Ultra (192 GB), M5 Max (128 GB). Fastest published row is 30.0 tok/s on M4 Ultra (192 GB) at Q4_K - Medium.

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

Raw benchmark rows for Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E

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	—	—	30.0 tok/s	—	MLX	ref
M5 Max (128 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	26.0 tok/s	—	MLX	ref
M5 Max (128 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	22.0 tok/s	—	Ollama	ref

Best Macs for Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E

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 — 26.0 tok/s

Chips with published results for Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E

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

Data

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

See all models →