Will It Run AI

Can GPT-OSS 120B run on MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB?

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run
Estimated from fit model

GPT-OSS 120B needs ~82.3 GB but MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB only has 34.6 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: No fitBandwidth: MediumStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory capacity
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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) 82.3 GB, exceeds 34.6 GB available
82.3 GB required34.6 GB available
238% VRAM needed

47.7 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

4.1 tok/s

TTFT

47011 ms

Safe context

4K

Memory

82.3 GB / 34.6 GB

Offload

60%

Memory breakdown

Weights71.4 GB
KV Cache4.9 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom5.2 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower
See how fast it feelsGPT-OSS 120B on MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB
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: 4.1 tok/s decode · 47.0s TTFT (warm) · 10 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable shared or unified memory is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 82.3 GB, but this setup only exposes 34.6 GB of usable shared or unified memory.

Best improvement path

Move to a larger memory pool

A larger unified-memory SKU or a discrete high-bandwidth GPU is the cleanest way to make this model practical.

Performance by workload

WorkloadGradeFitDecodeTTFTContext
ChatFToo heavy4.1 tok/s25643 ms4K
CodingFToo heavy4.1 tok/s47011 ms4K
Agentic CodingFToo heavy4.1 tok/s68380 ms4K
ReasoningFToo heavy4.1 tok/s55559 ms4K
RAGFToo heavy4.1 tok/s85475 ms4K

Quantization options

How GPT-OSS 120B (117B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB (34.6 GB usable).

QuantBitsVRAMQualityFit
Q2_K
2
45.6 GB
LowF0
Q3_K_S
3
57.3 GB
LowF0
NVFP4
4
65.5 GB
MediumF0
Q4_K_M
4
71.4 GB
MediumF0
Q5_K_M
5
84.2 GB
HighF0
Q6_K
6
95.9 GB
HighF0
Q8_0
8
125.2 GB
Very HighF0
F16
16
239.8 GB
MaximumF0

升级选项

能流畅运行 GPT-OSS 120B 的硬件

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB run GPT-OSS 120B?

No, GPT-OSS 120B requires more memory than MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB provides.

How much VRAM does GPT-OSS 120B need?

GPT-OSS 120B (117B parameters) requires approximately 82.3 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for GPT-OSS 120B?

The recommended quantization for GPT-OSS 120B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will GPT-OSS 120B run at on MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB, GPT-OSS 120B achieves approximately 4.1 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 47011ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB run GPT-OSS 120B for coding?

For coding workloads, GPT-OSS 120B on MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB receives a F grade with 4.1 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can GPT-OSS 120B use on MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB, GPT-OSS 120B can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if GPT-OSS 120B feels slow on MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB?

Move to a larger memory pool. A larger unified-memory SKU or a discrete high-bandwidth GPU is the cleanest way to make this model practical.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB as fast as VRAM for GPT-OSS 120B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 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 M4 Max 48GBSee all hardware for GPT-OSS 120B
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