MLX vs GGUF: Ultimate Comparison

█▀█ █▀▀ ▄▀█ █▀▄ █▀▄▀█ █▀█ █▀█ █▀▀ █▀▄ ██▄ █▀█ █▄▀ █ ▀ █ █▄█ █▀▄ ██▄ Your expensive MacBook is being throttled by outdated model formats. In this video, I dive deep into the performance gap between GGUF and MLX using the brand new M5 MacBook Pro. We test Qwen 3.6 across coding challenges and creative writing to see which format actually reigns supreme on Apple Silicon. Key Takeaways: MLX outperforms GGUF significantly in context-heavy tasks like coding. GGUF with high context windows can still cause system freezes even on modern M5 hardware. OMLX is a superior, lightweight alternative to LM Studio for Mac users. Context caching in MLX allows for near-instant responses even as your chat history grows. For local LLMs on Mac, 32GB of RAM is the absolute minimum for a smooth experience. Work with me: https://samuelgregory.co.uk --- Support the content:   / 0x5am5   Twitter: @0x5am5 $ cat tools.txt ──────────────────────────────── Kilo: https://samuelgregory.co.uk/kilo-code Replit (Favourite Vibe Code Tool) : https://samuelgregory.co.uk/replit Perplexity (deep research): https://samuelgregory.co.uk/perplexity Claude Code: https://claude.ai/api/referral/jZ9vnM... Warp Terminal: https://samuelgregory.co.uk/warp ⚒️ more at https://samuelgregory.co.uk/tools $ cat services.txt ──────────────────────────────── Domain Names: https://samuelgregory.co.uk/namecheap Hosting: https://www.hostg.xyz/aff_c?offer_id=... Online Storage ($200 credit): https://samuelgregory.co.uk/digital-o... ⚒️ more at https://samuelgregory.co.uk/tools $ cat gear.txt ──────────────────────────────── Sony A7c II: https://amzn.to/40qaYEJ Lens Sigma 16-28mm: https://amzn.to/3IaDzqx Microphone Samson QU2: https://amzn.to/3TkshCE Macbook Pro M1 Max: https://amzn.to/48736M6 $ cat books.txt ──────────────────────────────── The Full Stack Agency: https://flowst8.dev/store Lingo: Agile: https://thefullstackagency.gumroad.co... Lingo: Startup: https://thefullstackagency.gumroad.co... $ cat timestamps.txt ──────────────────────────────── 00:00 Regarding my previous video and TurboQuant 00:25 Qwen3.6 with MLX vs GGUF 00:50 Downloading oMLX and MLX compatible models 02:42 Running basic chat against MLX models 03:02 How I'm running MLX with Kilo Code 03:55 MLX Test 1 - Writing a story 05:41 MLX Test 2 - Coding tasks 07:27 GGUF Test 1 - Writing a story 10:17 GGUF Test 2 - Coding tasks 11:19 Redoing both coding challenges on M1 Max with 64GB and final results #AppleSilicon #LocalLLM #QwenAI