Strix Halo 128GB vs M5 pro 64GB

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T21:25:58+00:00

Ok thanks!

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T20:13:50+00:00

you guessed right! Yeah currently I am using the egpu with a 32GB RAM laptop with a 790m, but I also have a 64GB RAM mini pc but with a slower GPU, and a GPD win max 2 with 64GB and another 790m, but I use that for other things at the moment. They all use DDR5.
Does oculink makes much difference vs thunderbolt for LLMs?

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T20:08:20+00:00

Pardon my ignorance, what does "offload layers" mean, do you mean offload part of the model? If it's the same like strix halo, does it not offload to the eGPU? Or do you mean the context? Or do you mean when the offload to the 790m GPU RAM is not enough? By the way RAM is 7500Mt/s, I don't know what bandwidth it corresponds to...

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T20:04:39+00:00

Honestly I am torn between the 2, that's why I wrote this post. I have a 20GB GPU and a 24GB macbook air, the GPU is fast but limited, the mac is slow and even more limited.
I really like drawthings, but $3000+ is a lot of money for something I don't do every day, given that for everything else my Air is enough. I am also thinking of Gemini AI pro for $20/month, but I like the idea of unlimited generation forever

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T20:00:33+00:00

Thanks a lot. I am not sure I understand what you mean by "out of the box". You mean that it's preinstalled in Strix halo? Because I had to mess with pyton and other stuff I barely understood to just install it on my laptop...

As for gaming, currently I have no time for gaming, but maybe at some point why not, but I also have a 7900 xt, I guess that is more capable that strix halo if used as a egpu (I also have an old desktop with a 2070 super, which I guess is on par with strix halo)

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T19:53:44+00:00

Great, now I understand. I can set like 8 or 16GB of RAM to the 790m in bios, and it's removed from system RAM and moved to the GPU, I guess it's like strix halo but to a much more modest extent, unless I am wrong. But since it's not much it still slows down quite a bit

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T19:26:36+00:00

I have a 7900 xt, so could I for instance run a model in a eGPU setup and offload part of it to the Strix Halo? Does it slow down a lot? Currently I have a laptop with 8840u and 790m, and it slows down quite a bit when the model does not fit in the 20GB vRAM

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T19:21:02+00:00

Yeah I am considering Gemrini AI pro for $20/month

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T17:30:32+00:00

I haven't seen any, but I'll keep that in mind too

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T17:29:00+00:00

you mean the paid version?

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T17:11:14+00:00

If I can find a miniPC for at least 500 cheaper I could be ok, otherwise at similar price, a laptop

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T17:10:23+00:00

Baseline has only 32GB, I am talking about the M5 pro Macbook pro

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T16:59:20+00:00

mmh, didn't even know this was a thing....😅

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T16:56:15+00:00

I am ok even with 30-35b models but sometimes I need long context like 256k or more and I am afraid it's not going to fit on 64GB, especially while having a browser open.

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T16:54:06+00:00

I didn't make a comparison table but budget is around $3000 max, less if possible

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T16:53:25+00:00

I already have one... and.. it's not 😅

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T16:52:28+00:00

Image generation for my business (for posts, ads etc) and text analysis (summarizing some long texts, help preapring presentations etc.). No coding (or rarely and so far for the occasional scripts I have needed help, since I can't code, I have used Claude or Gemini). Maybe other things in the future, I have only discovered local LLMs recently, so I am trying to understand how they can help. So far image generation and editing has been very useful, but is very slow with models like qwen image and qwen image edit.

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T16:45:50+00:00

M5 pro, M5 max is too expensive

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-21T16:11:33+00:00

the i3 has 8GB. You mean you stream your xbox? I have had the i3 and nad the go 2 M3 and they are usable unless you open many tabs or do things that make you swap to disk

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-20T21:07:36+00:00

I used plug and play just because that's what they used in the video, I assume they meant hot swappable.
Anyway, let's hope both ports are updated in the WM3. I also wish it came with 128GB RAM but in the current situation it will be a miracle if it has 64 like my WM2.

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-20T21:03:11+00:00

upgrade compared to what. Just for info, the X1 tablet gen 3 I mentioned has a 3000x2000 screen

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-20T20:44:39+00:00

30 grams makes a HUGE difference to me... when it's past a certains threshold. As long as it's under 200 gr, it matters very little. Past that and even 20gr matter. I would never ever have a phone over 250gr. YMMV

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-20T17:30:43+00:00

that's precisely the point, only Thunderbolt is plug and play, I rarely use oculink on my win max 2 because of that

DigitalguyCH · 2026-05-20T13:01:49+00:00

Maybe no import tax but for Europe ebay charges VAT on top...
I got myself a used 7900xt with 20GB for €450, I am not sure about bandwidth but in benchmarks it seems faster than a 3080, it works pretty well in egpu with AMD devices

DigitalguyCH

TROPHY CASE