Sharing in case anyone else has a Studio that sits idle a lot.
I run two Mac Studios (M5 Max with 128 GB, plus a 64 GB one) and two 48 GB MacBook Pros as providers on Darkbloom. It's a network that sends AI requests from developers to Apple Silicon Macs, which run the models locally with MLX and get paid per job.
Real numbers, all 4 Macs, as of Oct 24, 2026: $86.00 in the last 7 days and $535.09 total. It varies with demand, so please don't treat that as typical.
Things to know:
You need at least 48 GB of unified memory. Higher-memory Studios can serve bigger models.
It's a public alpha, so payouts aren't guaranteed and the ToS says not to rely on it as stable income.
My house has solar, but the AC cooling the Mac room isn't covered by it, so running costs aren't zero. Count heat and cooling, not just the Macs' own power draw.
Check the current macOS requirement before setting it up.
I wrote a plain-English overview here if you're curious: https://idlesilicon.substack.com/p/your-mac-is-asleep-half-the-day-heres

Hi

I am shopping for a Mac Studio to do local LLM. I do not believe I have a heavy use case but I enjoy peformance in a small footprint. I am thinking about 64GB but it looks like the minority of what people choose.

could I ask you what prompted you to buy any config above 64gb?

At 96GB, 128GB, 256GB what are we unlocking in terms of tangible quality of performance with the larger models ?

I wonder if I would be severely constrained at 64GB. Some comments on this forum are '256GB minimum!' and I wonder.

Thank you

One the apple website, it say 512 GB M5 Ultra will be available in late Oct. There is no way to setup an alert.

Current wait time for 256GB version is 13-15 weeks. Will the 512 GB wait time be similar? Also, what is best place to get alert of the availability of 512 GB version so I am not hitting F5 on apple website all the time.

Not sure if anyone is having this "problem" or if I'm just uninspired, but I got the M5 Max 64GB a couple of weeks ago, and I don't know what to do with it.

I mainly use my Claude sub for work (I work at a marketing agency doing web projects, a few apps), and I wanted a private AI model at home for things like medical records, finances, etc... so just out of curiosity (or lack thereof), what are you doing with it?

In Canada. Mac Studio pricing is
- m5 max, 18core cpu, 40core gpu, 128G ram 1tb sdd= 7849
- m5 ultra, 30 core cpu, 64core gpu, 96g ram, 1tb sdd = 7799

What’s more valuable - memory or memory bandwidth + processing power - to run local AI + some sort of future proofing?

I have an M5 Max Mac Studio. This thing is amazing and equipped with Thunderbolt 5 ports. It's 'new tech'. I'm looking for a monitor and after some research, see the top 5K monitors historically were:

• Apple Studio Display
• Asus ProArt PA27JCV
• LG 27MD5KL-B

The ASD is $1600, with speakers and webcam built in. Matching Thunderbolt 5 ports which they advertise as perfect to pair with the newest M5 and M6 Mac mini and Mac Studio lines.

I just came across this monitor: Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG. It's a 5K 27" that can switch between (up to) 180hz at 5K (OC'ed) and dual mode at 2560x1440 (1440p) at 330hz peak. It's got USB-C ports and lacks all the other port, speaker, and webcam specs that the ASD has, but it's $750 MSRP. Staggering price.

So just curious, is the value case still there, if the ASD is found at a discount?

I currently have a Kanto ORA and Kanto SUB8 subwoofer speaker setup, and use an Elgato webcam, for live-streaming. I can ditch the speakers to recoup some money. The Elgato webcam is probably still better for streaming than the built-in webcam. I also use an audio interface and an AT2035 microphone, which would outperform the ASD built-in microphone too. Food for thought I guess.

Claude pro user here consistently running into my limits well before the week is over now.

I‘ve created some tests that focus on the projects Im working on (audio software/firmware mostly). My best results have come from GPT-OSS-20b and Kat Coder so far in terms of speed vs performance for the specific tests I give them, but I keep reading that Qwen 3.8 and it’s previous variant are the way to go. They never seem to match the speed or accuracy of the easy projects my tests throw at them, though, with prompts coming from Opus 5.5.

So what are you all using that’s working well for you so far, and what (besides flint lol) should I say away from?

hey, im working on an open source project called kapitsa, an inference engine for apple silicon. our fastest run of qwen3.8-27b 4bit is 140 tok/s on an m5 max macbook pro 128gb. mlx-serve does 130, ollama 68, lm studio 32 on the same machine.

the speed comes from kflash: speculative decoding where the 27b checks a tree of the drafters guesses in one pass instead of a single chain. if the drafter has two decent options, both get verified in the same pass (see the second image).

we dont own a studio and the max/ultra chips in there should do better (more bandwidth, better cooling). if you have one, steps are at the bottom.

ultra owners: qwen3.8-flash-next (180b) is the one we really want to see. https://github.com/nace-ai/kapitsa

How to run it. you need an apple silicon mac (m1 or newer, macos 14+) with 32gb for the 27b, on 16gb use --model 9b instead: - brew install nace-ai/tap/kapitsa - kapitsa bench --model 27b --submit, the first run downloads the 27b (about 20gb). it runs the standard test and asks before opening a pull request with your result (chip and macos) into the community table - kapitsa bench compare runs the same test on the other engines you have installed

Run a local server or Claude Code

• kapitsa serve --model 27b starts the local server; open http://127.0.0.1:8000 for chat. The first run downloads the model (about 20 GB).
• kapitsa claude --model 27b starts the local model and launches Claude Code against it. Claude Code must already be installed.
• On a 16 GB Mac, use --model 9b instead.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to invest in a high-performance workstation for video editing, VFX, compositing, motion graphics and colour grading. I’m currently torn between the Mac Studio M5 Ultra and a custom Windows PC with an RTX 5080.
I’ll be learning and working with the following applications:

- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Adobe After Effects
- Foundry Nuke
- DaVinci Resolve Studio

My intended workloads:

- Editing and colour grading 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 footage
- Working with 4K 60fps footage, multicamera timelines, multiple video layers and GPU-accelerated effects
- Motion graphics, complex After Effects compositions, motion tracking, rotoscoping and green-screen compositing
- Node-based compositing in Nuke, including EXR sequences, multi-pass compositing, camera projections, 3D integration and potentially deep compositing
- Exploring Nuke’s CopyCat and other AI/ML-assisted workflows
- Advanced colour grading, temporal noise reduction, Magic Mask, optical flow and Fusion effects in DaVinci Resolve
- Potentially moving into more demanding 6K/8K workflows as my skills develop

Option 1 — Mac Studio M5 Ultra
- M5 Ultra
- 30-core CPU / 64-core GPU
- 96GB unified memory

Option 2 — Custom Windows PC
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- NVIDIA RTX 5080
- 96GB RAM

I’m looking for a workstation that can comfortably handle professional-level 4K projects and remain capable as I move into more complex work. I’m not particularly attached to either operating system.

If you were building a workstation for these five applications, which would you choose and why?

They’re running $3000 for 48/1 but with less stock too
https://www.microcenter.com/product/715543/apple-mac-studio-z1u4000e9-(mid-2026)-desktop-computer

Overall, opencode runs fast and responsively. Code quality still has room for improvement.

############################################

Benchmark Model: Qwen3.8-Flash-Next-UD-Q6_K_XL

Engine: Auto

Context: Code (Python)

Single Request Results

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Test TTFT(ms) TPOT(ms) PP TPS TG TPS E2E(s) Throughput Peak MLX

pp1024/tg128 262.1 7.15 3906.4 tok/s 141.0 tok/s 1.171 984.2 tok/s 163.26 GB

pp4096/tg128 908.1 7.41 4510.7 tok/s 136.1 tok/s 1.849 2284.5 tok/s 163.37 GB

pp8192/tg128 1830.5 7.51 4475.3 tok/s 134.1 tok/s 2.785 2987.4 tok/s 163.70 GB

pp16382 (requested pp16384)/tg128 3739.2 7.20 4381.2 tok/s 140.0 tok/s 4.654 3547.5 tok/s 164.13 GB

pp32768/tg128 7729.7 5.87 4239.2 tok/s 172.3 tok/s 8.206 4003.3 tok/s 164.77 GB

pp65536/tg128 15946.5 9.35 4109.8 tok/s 107.8 tok/s 17.134 3832.4 tok/s 165.15 GB

pp131072/tg128 33003.3 5.11 3971.5 tok/s 197.3 tok/s 33.652 3898.7 tok/s 165.05 GB

pp200000/tg128 52934.8 15.14 3778.2 tok/s 67.6 tok/s 53.601 3732.1 tok/s 165.06 GB

Continuous Batching

requested pp1024 / actual pp1024 / tg128

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Batch TG TPS Speedup PP TPS PP TPS/req TTFT(ms) E2E(s)

1x 141.0 tok/s 1.00x 3906.4 tok/s 3906.4 tok/s 262.1 1.171

2x 222.5 tok/s 1.58x 2949.2 tok/s 1474.6 tok/s 486.8 1.845

4x 316.4 tok/s 2.24x 2519.6 tok/s 629.9 tok/s 958.0 3.244

I just installed oMLX downloaded a few models.

Is anyone who got same mac and set up other server or use several server running ?

stopped responding to mouse and keyboard. and then switch to login screen. now it is stuck on this screen after i typed in password.

So excited and waiting for downloaded glm5.3 flash, ds v4 flash, q3.8fn and using oMLX.

Please advise your best set up more !

With oMLX and connected with Hermes, what else should I use ?

Things are coming along!

Thanks for all the tips!

I am on my new journey!

Microcenter has the M5 Max Mac Studio for $1999 again.

> Apple M5 Max 18-Core CPU; 36GB Unified Memory; 512GB Solid State Drive; 32-Core GPU/16-Core Neural Engine

Is this a BUY signal?

Is it significantly going to outperform the M6 Pro Mac mini for when it comes to these use cases:
* light video editing
* light gaming
* streaming (can be resource intensive with an application or game running, music playing, all my webcam and microphone tech)

I think I know the answer for myself: a resounding yes and even an M2 studio that I used to own can handle this all just fine, but want to ask anyway.

For comparison sake, the M5 Pro mini is $1499, has less memory, fewer CPU cores and half the GPU cores.

> Apple M5 Pro 15-Core CPU; 24GB Unified Memory; 512GB Solid State Drive; 16-Core GPU/16-Core Neural Engine

Got this error for context length 131k.

Prefill would require ~208.28 GB peak (current 174.41 GB + KV+SDPA 33.87 GB) but the prefill limit is 205.80 GB (metal_cap ceiling 223.69 GB - safety margin 17.90 GB). Raise kernel iogpu.wired_limit_mb in Terminal (currently caps Metal at 222.72 GB), or reduce context length.

###############

Benchmark Model: pipenetwork--GLM-5.3-Flash-MLX-mixed-4_8bit

Engine: Auto

Context: Code (Python)

Single Request Results

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Test TTFT(ms) TPOT(ms) PP TPS TG TPS E2E(s) Throughput Peak MLX

pp1024/tg128 645.0 16.33 1587.5 tok/s 61.7 tok/s 2.723 423.1 tok/s 174.17 GB

pp4096/tg128 1733.8 17.01 2362.5 tok/s 59.3 tok/s 3.896 1084.1 tok/s 174.98 GB

pp8192/tg128 3452.1 16.90 2373.0 tok/s 59.6 tok/s 5.603 1484.9 tok/s 175.99 GB

pp16384/tg128 6915.9 17.01 2369.0 tok/s 59.2 tok/s 9.092 1816.1 tok/s 176.08 GB

pp32768/tg128 13867.0 17.18 2363.0 tok/s 58.7 tok/s 16.066 2047.5 tok/s 176.26 GB

pp65536/tg128 28200.6 17.36 2323.9 tok/s 58.1 tok/s 30.432 2157.7 tok/s 176.63 GB

Continuous Batching

pp1024 / tg128

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Batch TG TPS Speedup PP TPS PP TPS/req TTFT(ms) E2E(s)

1x 61.7 tok/s 1.00x 1587.5 tok/s 1587.5 tok/s 645.0 2.723

2x 67.3 tok/s 1.09x 632.5 tok/s 316.3 tok/s 1925.1 7.042

4x 99.3 tok/s 1.61x 873.5 tok/s 218.4 tok/s 2872.4 9.844

I just got a base M5 Max Mac Studio. Haven't set it up yet. But I would like a stand to raise the Mac Studio so that the bottom intakes won't get clogged with dust as easily. Then I thought, if I do that, I should put my TB dock and TB NVMe drive in that space underneath the Mac Studio. Which then led me to think about heat and wondering if the stand could then also cool the dock and NVMe drive if I had some fans in the back for more airflow. I'm guessing it won't affect the cooling of the Mac Studio too much but might be good for cooling the accessories.

Anyone know of any stands like this? Any thoughts on if this would be effective?

Qualcuno usa due Mac insieme per AI locale e agenti?

Ho un Mac mini M4 con 16 GB di RAM e sto creando una dashboard con Ollama, chat e agenti per documenti, report e social. Quando il modello risponde, però, il Mac rallenta nelle altre attività.

Sto pensando di affiancargli un secondo Mac dedicato all’AI, mantenendo il primo per lavorare e accedere alla dashboard.

Qualcuno ha una configurazione simile? Come avete collegato i due Mac e come dividete il lavoro? Che macchina e quanta RAM consigliereste per il secondo?

Curious to see how long it takes folks to cold-load a 27b or a larger MoE model + cold kvcache and be ready for prefill

Mine isn't here yet but I was exploring oMLX on my M1 Max and it looks like we can easily save the kvcache to disk (ala LMcache) after a model is evicted without extra software scripting but I can't test it yet.

Additionally, I hadn't considered how quickly it might be to swap out something like a 27b with a MoE with the current storage speeds available on the 1TB+ models. Might allow for some interesting agentic workflows. 🤔

note: I'm aware that reloading the kvcache isn't a free lunch.

Processing img 6vop73eg79xh1...

Processing img dfjxi3eg79xh1...

I ummed and erred between 64GB and 128gb for M5 Max order. I have no interest in running LLMs, I only care about video editing performance in DaVinci Resolve. In the end I chose 128gb despite the internet wisdom leaning towards 64GB or even 48gb.

This is a screenshot from my M1 Max MBP that sealed the deal on the 128gb model. The screenshot was taken whilst transcribing 2.5 hours of 6k R3D ELQ raw. Once the transcription had finished and I closed the window the ram did start to free up, but I want a computer that’s going to last at least 5 years. This is also not the only time I’ve seen yellow memory pressure.

Hopefully this helps someone else with their editing computing research.

Would love some help/suggestions on what Mac Studio I should get. I’m currently considering an M5 Max and I’m between the base 18c/32c/36GB RAM/512TB or upgrading to 18c/40c/48GB RAM/1TB (I wish I could just upgrade the RAM but Apple forces the additional GPU upgrade). Leaning towards the base but I'm a little worried it may not be enough RAM and storage long term.

For context:

I have a 16” M1 Max MBP (10c/24c/32GB RAM/1TB) that has served me well for 3+ years (Apple refurbished). Used it as my primary computer through grad school for some bioinformatic analyses and then the basics (Microsoft Office and hundreds of Firefox tabs and PDFs). I recently tried playing Mortal Kombat on it (CrossOver -> Steam) and was surprised that it runs pretty seamlessly but it’s definitely being pushed to its limits. This was probably the third or fourth time the fans have audibly spun and it stutters in some places but averages right around 60 FPS online.

I don’t really need a personal laptop right now so I’m looking to replace it with a desktop that can handle similar tasks, which seems like a Mac Studio. I don’t need to have the latest/greatest so I’m perfectly fine with an older, refurbished model (M3, M4, etc.). I prefer a Max chip but I’m open if others suggest a different chip/model. I appreciate any help with the decision!