M4 vs M3 for Local AI: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

Apple M4 brought a faster Neural Engine and improved memory bandwidth to the Mac lineup (the M5 generation has since followed). But is M4 a meaningful upgrade over M3 for running local AI models? This comparison helps you decide whether upgrading makes sense.

Hardware5 categories compared

Verdict

Apple M4

The M4 delivers 15-25% faster inference than M3 on equivalent models and supports up to 32 GB on MacBook Air. For most local AI tasks, M3 is still excellent and the upgrade is not essential. If you are buying new, M4 is the clear pick. If you already have M3, the jump is incremental.

Apple M4

wins

Ties

draws

Apple M3

wins

Category-by-Category Breakdown

Category	Apple M4	Apple M3	Winner
Inference Speed	15-25% faster token generation	Already fast, but slower than M4	Apple M4
Max RAM (MacBook Air)	Up to 32 GB	Up to 24 GB	Apple M4
Neural Engine	38 TOPS, most powerful yet	18 TOPS	Apple M4
Power Efficiency	Excellent, TSMC 3nm second gen	Very good, TSMC 3nm first gen	Apple M4
Price/Performance	Same price tier, better performance	Available used/refurbished at lower prices	Tie

Detailed Analysis

Inference Speed

Apple M4

M4 improved memory bandwidth delivers 15-25% faster tokens per second across model sizes. On a 7B model, expect roughly 25 tok/s on M4 vs 20 tok/s on M3.

Apple M4

15-25% faster token generation

Apple M3

Already fast, but slower than M4

Max RAM (MacBook Air)

Apple M4

M4 MacBook Air supports 32 GB, enabling 14B models that do not fit on the 24 GB M3 Air.

Apple M4

Up to 32 GB

Apple M3

Up to 24 GB

Neural Engine

Apple M4

M4 Neural Engine is more than twice as powerful as M3, though most LLM inference in Ollama uses GPU cores rather than the Neural Engine.

Apple M4

38 TOPS, most powerful yet

Apple M3

18 TOPS

Power Efficiency

Apple M4

M4 is slightly more power efficient, meaning longer battery life during sustained inference workloads.

Apple M4

Excellent, TSMC 3nm second gen

Apple M3

Very good, TSMC 3nm first gen

Price/Performance

Tie

New M4 Macs cost the same as M3 did at launch. But used M3 Macs offer excellent value if budget is a concern.

Apple M4

Same price tier, better performance

Apple M3

Available used/refurbished at lower prices

Frequently Asked Questions

How much faster is M4 than M3 for LLMs?

Roughly 15-25% faster token generation on equivalent models. A 7B model that runs at 20 tok/s on M3 runs at about 25 tok/s on M4. The gap widens slightly with larger models.

Should I upgrade from M3 to M4 for local AI?

Only if you also need more RAM. The performance gain alone (15-25%) is not worth the cost of a new Mac. If your M3 has 24 GB and you want 32 GB, the M4 upgrade makes more sense.

Does M4 support larger models than M3?

On MacBook Air, yes. M4 Air goes up to 32 GB vs 24 GB for M3 Air. This means 14B models fit comfortably on M4 Air but are tight on M3 Air. On MacBook Pro, both support up to 128 GB.

Is M4 better for Ollama specifically?

Yes. Ollama runs inference on the GPU cores, and M4 has faster GPU performance. Combined with higher memory bandwidth, every model runs faster on M4, though the difference is evolutionary, not revolutionary.