Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB vs Strix Halo GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB for local AI
Both hold 39 of the 48 current models here. The GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB costs $1,599 less. On Qwen3.8 27B, the strongest model both hold, the Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB is about 2.5× faster: 25 tok/s against 10, both estimated from memory bandwidth. The GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB pays for itself sooner, in 267 years against 287 years at 500k tokens a day.
| Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB | Strix Halo GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5,099 | $3,500 |
| Memory | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Usable by the GPU | 96 GB | 96 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 614 GB/s | 256 GB/s |
| Power under load | 145 Wstand-in | 150 W |
| Models that fit | 39 | 39 |
| Best model it runs | Qwen3.8 27B | Qwen3.8 27B |
| Speed on that model | 25 tok/s estimated | 10 tok/s estimated |
| Pay-back on that model | Pays back in 287 years | Pays back in 267 years |
The 145 W beside the Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB is a stand-in, not a figure for that machine: the data borrows it from the nearest hardware it does have, and the machine's own page names which and why. So the two figures above are not like for like, and the electricity in its pay-back here is priced from a borrowed number.
Run the numbers on the Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB · or the Strix Halo GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB
How much use it takes to pay back
Everything above is at 500k tokens a day. Pay-back moves with how much you actually run, so here are both machines on Qwen3.8 27B, the strongest model both hold, at the five levels of use the calculator names. The Strix Halo GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB pays back sooner at every level up to 4M tokens a day. Above that the Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB does.
| A day's use | Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB | Strix Halo GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB |
|---|---|---|
| 50ka few chats a day | 2,867 years | 2,670 years |
| 200klight assistant use | 717 years | 667 years |
| 1Ma moderate coding-assistant day | 143 years | 133 years |
| 4Mheavy coding with an agent | 36 years | 33 years |
| 20Magents running most of the day | 7.2 years | 9.4 yearsits ceiling |
On Qwen3.8 27B the Strix Halo GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB generates at most 14.3M tokens a day, so its figure at 20M tokens a day is for the most it can do, not for the whole of what was asked.
Run the Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB at 20M tokens a day · or the Strix Halo GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB
Memory is not what separates them
Every model on this list that fits one machine fits the other, and not only at 32k of context: across all 48 models the calculator counts, at every context from 4k to 256k, there is no model one holds and the other does not. Both leave 96 GB to the GPU. So the choice between them is speed, price and power, not what they can hold.
The Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB is also head to head with another computer: Mac mini M5 Pro, 24GB · DGX Spark, 128GB · MacBook Air M5 (15-inch), 16GB · MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch), 64GB · MacBook Pro M5 Max (16-inch), 48GB. With a graphics card: RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, 96GB · Radeon AI PRO R9700, 32GB. With the same machine at another memory size: 48GB · 64GB. With the machine it replaced: Mac Studio M4 Max, 128GB.
The GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB is also head to head with another computer: Mac mini M5 Pro, 24GB · DGX Spark, 128GB · MacBook Air M5 (15-inch), 16GB · MacBook Pro M5 Pro (16-inch), 64GB · Framework Desktop, 128GB · Mac Studio M5 Max, 64GB. With a graphics card: RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, 96GB · Radeon AI PRO R9700, 32GB. With the same machine at another memory size: 64GB.
The assumptions behind both columns
Both columns use the same usage: 500k tokens a day at 15:1 input to output, 32k of context, $0.17 per kWh, and today's API prices held flat. Speeds marked estimated are worked out from memory bandwidth rather than measured, and pay-back scales with them. Change any of it in the calculator.
More head to head: everything the Mac Studio M5 Max, 128GB runs · everything the Strix Halo GMKtec EVO-X2, 128GB runs · every other match-up · the quickest pay-back at each level of use · every model against the frontier