Can a Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) run Stable Diffusion 1.5 locally?

Yes — the Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) has 36GB VRAM. It runs Stable Diffusion 1.5 comfortably (best variant: FP16 (Standard), ~4.2GB).

What is the best Stable Diffusion 1.5 quantization for a 36GB GPU?

The FP16 (Standard) variant (~4.2GB) is the best fit on the Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max).

GPU × Model Compatibility

Can a Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) run Stable Diffusion 1.5?

Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) has 36GB VRAM. Here's exactly whichquantization (FP16, FP8, GGUF)of Stable Diffusion 1.5 fits and how smoothly it runs.

Runs locally — recommended

This GPU has enough VRAM for Stable Diffusion 1.5. Best pick: FP16 (Standard) (~4.2GB) with 30.8GB headroom.

4.2GB

smallest fit on this GPU

Run it locally

Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) (36GB) · ~$3500 is a solid fit for Stable Diffusion 1.5.

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Stable Diffusion 1.5 variants on the Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max)

Variant	Precision	Size	Total VRAM needed	Headroom	Fits?
FP8 (Optimized)	FP8	2.1GB	3.1GB	+32.9GB	✓ Fits	Download ↗
FP16 (Standard)REC	FP16	4.2GB	5.2GB	+30.8GB	✓ Fits	Download ↗

"Total VRAM needed" = variant size + 1.0GB estimated text-encoder/VAE overhead. Headroom = GPU VRAM (36GB) − total needed. Green ≥ 1.5GB headroom; Red ≤ −2GB (will OOM).

Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) at a glance

VRAM

36GB

Est. price

$3500

Best for

4.2GB Stable Diffusion 1.5 and lighter

Can a Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) run Stable Diffusion 1.5?

Runs locally — recommended

Run it locally

Stable Diffusion 1.5 variants on the Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max)

Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max) at a glance

Other models on the Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Max)

Other GPUs for Stable Diffusion 1.5