Can GPT-OSS 20B run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

YES — Runs Great

S85Excellent

Estimated from fit model

GPT-OSS 20B needs ~30.0 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB has 92.2 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~46 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: LowStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced

Operating mode

Choose the run profile you care about

Interactive favors responsiveness, while light API and scale-out lean harder on serving readiness. The fit stays the same, but the recommendation lens changes.

Current mode

Balanced

Balanced for general local use. Keeps the ranking neutral across personal and serving workflows.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 30.0 GB, 46.1 tok/s, Runs well

30.0 GB required92.2 GB available

33% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

46.1 tok/s

TTFT

4202 ms

Safe context

128K

Memory

30.0 GB / 92.2 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights12.8 GB

KV Cache2.4 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom13.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGPT-OSS 20B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Write a Python function to sort a list
Here's a Python function that sorts a list using quicksort:

def quicksort(arr):
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left   = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right  = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

# Example usage
numbers = [3, 6, 8, 10, 1, 2, 1]
print(quicksort(numbers))  # [1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10]

The algorithm picks a pivot, partitions the list into smaller, equal, and larger elements, then recursively sorts each partition and concatenates the results.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>Now add type hints and a docstring
def quicksort(arr: list[int]) -> list[int]:
    """Sort a list using the quicksort algorithm.

    Args:
        arr: List of integers to sort.

    Returns:
        A new sorted list.
    """
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left   = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right  = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

Added type hints for the input and return type, plus a Google-style docstring.
Estimated: 46.1 tok/s decode · 4.2s TTFT (warm) · 115 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

This setup is broadly balanced for this model.

Shared-memory contention still exists

The OS, browser, and inference runtime all compete for the same physical memory pool, so real-world headroom is less forgiving than raw capacity suggests.

Best improvement path

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	A	Runs well	46.1 tok/s	2292 ms	128K
Coding	S	Runs well	46.1 tok/s	4202 ms	128K
Agentic Coding	S	Runs well	46.1 tok/s	6112 ms	128K
Reasoning	S	Runs well	46.1 tok/s	4966 ms	128K
RAG	S	Runs well	46.1 tok/s	7640 ms	128K

Inference speed

GPT-OSS 20B inference speed — tokens per second by GPU & Mac

Estimated decode speed (tokens/sec) for GPT-OSS 20B at Q4_K_M across popular GPUs and Apple Silicon, using the fastest local runtime per device. Fastest is RTX 5090 32GB at ~231 tok/s. Speed is memory-bandwidth bound, so cards that fit the whole model in VRAM run far faster than ones that offload to system RAM.

GPU / Mac	Memory	Quant	Speed (tok/s)	Fits?
RTX 5090 32GB	32 GB	Q4_K_M	230.5	Fits
RTX 4090 24GB	24 GB	Q4_K_M	147.1	Fits
RX 7900 XTX 24GB	24 GB	Q4_K_M	132.7	Fits
RTX 3090 24GB	24 GB	Q4_K_M	125.8	Fits
Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB	256 GB	Q4_K_M	106.9	Fits
Mac Studio M2 Ultra 128GB	128 GB	Q4_K_M	89.1	Fits
Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128GB	128 GB	Q4_K_M	84.5	Fits
RTX 4080 Super 16GB	16 GB	Q4_K_M	68.2	Heavy offload
MacBook Pro M4 Max 128GB	128 GB	Q4_K_M	66.0	Fits
MacBook Pro M4 Max 64GB	64 GB	Q4_K_M	66.0	Fits
MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB	64 GB	Q4_K_M	46.1	Fits
MacBook Pro M1 Max 64GB	64 GB	Q4_K_M	42.2	Fits
MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB	48 GB	Q4_K_M	40.4	Fits
RTX 4070 12GB	12 GB	Q4_K_M	24.2	Too big
RTX 3060 12GB	12 GB	Q4_K_M	15.2	Too big
RTX 4060 8GB	8 GB	Q4_K_M	5.7	Too big

Estimates for single-stream decoding at Q4_K_M; real tokens/sec varies with prompt length, context, batch size, and runtime build. Prompt processing (prefill) is faster than the decode figures shown here.

Quantization options

How GPT-OSS 20B (21B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB (92.2 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	8.2 GB	Low	A78
Q3_K_S	3	10.3 GB	Low	A78
NVFP4	4	11.8 GB	Medium	A78
Q4_K_M	4	12.8 GB	Medium	A78
Q5_K_M	5	15.1 GB	High	A79
Q6_K	6	17.2 GB	High	A79
Q8_0	8	22.5 GB	Very High	A80
F16Best for your GPU	16	43.1 GB	Maximum	A84

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run GPT-OSS 20B on your machine.

Run

ollama run gpt-oss

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode
Devstral 2 123B Instruct	123B	S	3.3 tok/s
Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct	30.5B	S	36.3 tok/s
Qwen 3.5 27B	27B	S	15.7 tok/s
Qwen 3.6 27B	27B	S	12 tok/s
Qwen 3.5 122B A10B	122B	S	15 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB run GPT-OSS 20B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can run GPT-OSS 20B with a S grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 46.1 tok/s.

How much VRAM does GPT-OSS 20B need?

GPT-OSS 20B (21B parameters) requires approximately 30.0 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for GPT-OSS 20B?

The recommended quantization for GPT-OSS 20B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will GPT-OSS 20B run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB, GPT-OSS 20B achieves approximately 46.1 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 4202ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB run GPT-OSS 20B for coding?

For coding workloads, GPT-OSS 20B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB receives a S grade with 46.1 tok/s and 128K context.

What context window can GPT-OSS 20B use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB, GPT-OSS 20B can safely use up to 128K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB as fast as VRAM for GPT-OSS 20B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can often fit larger models thanks to unified memory, but a discrete GPU with dedicated high-bandwidth VRAM may still decode faster once the model fits. For this combination, the important distinction is capacity versus sustained throughput.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB See all hardware for GPT-OSS 20B

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Preview:

Workload

Grade

Fit

Decode

TTFT

Context

Chat

Runs well

46.1 tok/s

2292 ms

128K

Coding

Runs well

46.1 tok/s

4202 ms

128K

Agentic Coding

Runs well

46.1 tok/s

6112 ms

128K

Reasoning

Runs well

46.1 tok/s

4966 ms

128K

RAG

Runs well

46.1 tok/s

7640 ms

128K

GPT-OSS 20B inference speed — tokens per second by GPU & Mac

GPU / Mac

Memory

Quant

Speed (tok/s)

Fits?

RTX 5090 32GB

32 GB

Q4_K_M

230.5

Fits

RTX 4090 24GB

24 GB

Q4_K_M

147.1

Fits

RX 7900 XTX 24GB

24 GB

Q4_K_M

132.7

Fits

RTX 3090 24GB

24 GB

Q4_K_M

125.8

Fits

Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB

256 GB

Q4_K_M

106.9

Fits

Mac Studio M2 Ultra 128GB

128 GB

Q4_K_M

89.1

Fits

Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128GB

128 GB

Q4_K_M

84.5

Fits

RTX 4080 Super 16GB

16 GB

Q4_K_M

68.2

Heavy offload

MacBook Pro M4 Max 128GB

128 GB

Q4_K_M

66.0

Fits

MacBook Pro M4 Max 64GB

64 GB

Q4_K_M

66.0

Fits

MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB

64 GB

Q4_K_M

46.1

Fits

MacBook Pro M1 Max 64GB

64 GB

Q4_K_M

42.2

Fits

MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB

48 GB

Q4_K_M

40.4

Fits

RTX 4070 12GB

12 GB

Q4_K_M

24.2

Too big

RTX 3060 12GB

12 GB

Q4_K_M

15.2

Too big

RTX 4060 8GB

8 GB

Q4_K_M

5.7

Too big

Quantization options

How GPT-OSS 20B (21B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB (92.2 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	8.2 GB	Low	A78
Q3_K_S	3	10.3 GB	Low	A78
NVFP4	4	11.8 GB	Medium	A78
Q4_K_M	4	12.8 GB	Medium	A78
Q5_K_M	5	15.1 GB	High	A79
Q6_K	6	17.2 GB	High	A79
Q8_0	8	22.5 GB	Very High	A80
F16Best for your GPU	16	43.1 GB	Maximum	A84

Model

Params

Grade

Decode

Capabilities

Devstral 2 123B Instruct

123B

3.3 tok/s

Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct

30.5B

36.3 tok/s

Qwen 3.5 27B

27B

15.7 tok/s

Qwen 3.6 27B

27B

12 tok/s

Qwen 3.5 122B A10B

122B

15 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB run GPT-OSS 20B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can run GPT-OSS 20B with a S grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 46.1 tok/s.

How much VRAM does GPT-OSS 20B need?

GPT-OSS 20B (21B parameters) requires approximately 30.0 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for GPT-OSS 20B?

The recommended quantization for GPT-OSS 20B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will GPT-OSS 20B run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB, GPT-OSS 20B achieves approximately 46.1 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 4202ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB run GPT-OSS 20B for coding?

For coding workloads, GPT-OSS 20B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB receives a S grade with 46.1 tok/s and 128K context.

What context window can GPT-OSS 20B use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB, GPT-OSS 20B can safely use up to 128K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB as fast as VRAM for GPT-OSS 20B?