Platform comparison
DGX Spark vs Mac Studio for local AI
Mac Studio has more memory bandwidth (up to 1,200 GB/s vs 273 GB/s), so it generates tokens faster on the same model. Among priced configs, DGX Spark offers the most usable model memory (~109 GB vs ~72 GB). The cheapest DGX Spark we track is $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX, 128 GB); the cheapest Mac Studio is $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max, 36 GB). DGX Spark boxes run CUDA, which most tools support first, and process long prompts faster than Macs or Strix Halo. Prices & stock checked 2026-10-23. Prices change daily and some retailers block our checker, so always confirm on the store page.
At a glance
| DGX Spark and GB10 boxes (NVIDIA, ASUS, Lenovo, HP, Gigabyte) | Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max / M5 Ultra) | |
|---|---|---|
| Machines tracked | 5 | 4 |
| Price range | $5,859–$8,499 | $2,499–$5,499 |
| Memory options | 128 GB | 36 GB–256 GB |
| Bandwidth | 273 GB/s | 460 GB/s–1,200 GB/s |
| Usable for models (est.) | ~85% of memory | ~75% of memory |
| Software | CUDA | MLX / Metal |
No current price for: Mac Studio M5 Ultra. It's left out of the price ranges.
Model by model (4-bit)
| Model | DGX Spark | Mac Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Qwen3.5 9B | up to ~39 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~139 tok/sfrom $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max) |
| Gemma 4 12B | up to ~29 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~111 tok/sfrom $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max) |
| GPT-OSS 20B | up to ~80 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~119 tok/sfrom $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max) |
| Gemma 4 26B-A4B | up to ~70 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~114 tok/sfrom $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max) |
| Qwen3.8 27B | up to ~13 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~55 tok/sfrom $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max) |
| GLM-4.7-Flash 30B-A3B | up to ~83 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~120 tok/sfrom $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max) |
| Gemma 4 31B | up to ~11 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~49 tok/sfrom $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max) |
| Qwen3.6 35B-A3B | up to ~83 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~120 tok/sfrom $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max) |
| Llama 3.3 70B | up to ~5 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~23 tok/sfrom $5,499 (Mac Studio M5 Ultra) |
| Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B | up to ~83 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~120 tok/sfrom $5,499 (Mac Studio M5 Ultra) |
| Llama 4 Scout 109B-A17B | up to ~19 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~60 tok/sfrom $5,499 (Mac Studio M5 Ultra) |
| GPT-OSS 120B | up to ~61 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~109 tok/sfrom $5,499 (Mac Studio M5 Ultra) |
| Nemotron 3 Super 120B-A12B | up to ~26 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~73 tok/sonly on a config with no current price |
| Qwen3.5 122B-A10B | up to ~31 tok/sfrom $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX) | up to ~80 tok/sonly on a config with no current price |
Fastest estimated decode across each platform's tracked configs, and the cheapest priced config that fits. How we estimate
DGX Spark configs we track
NVIDIA DGX Spark
Founders Edition, 4TB
128 GB · 273 GB/s
Check price
Mac Studio configs we track
Mac Studio M5 Max
18-core CPU / 32-core GPU, 36GB
36 GB · 460 GB/s
Check priceMac Studio M5 Max
18-core CPU / 40-core GPU, 48GB
48 GB · 614 GB/s
Check priceMac Studio M5 Ultra
30-core CPU / 64-core GPU, 96GB
96 GB · 1,200 GB/s
Check priceFAQ
Is DGX Spark or Mac Studio better for local LLMs?
Mac Studio has more memory bandwidth (up to 1,200 GB/s vs 273 GB/s), so it generates tokens faster on the same model. Among priced configs, DGX Spark offers the most usable model memory (~109 GB vs ~72 GB).
Which is cheaper, DGX Spark or Mac Studio?
The cheapest DGX Spark we track is $5,859 (Lenovo ThinkStation PGX, 128 GB); the cheapest Mac Studio is $2,499 (Mac Studio M5 Max, 36 GB).
Which is faster for big MoE models?
Decode speed scales with memory bandwidth, so Mac Studio is faster on any model that fits on both. Prompt processing depends on compute, where NVIDIA leads.