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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M1 Ultra 128GB run Gemma 3 12B?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
Gemma 3 12B on the Apple M1 Ultra 128GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 547k | 22.7-27.3 t/s | ~0.3-0.3 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 621k | 45.3-54.7 t/s | ~0.6-0.7 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 653k | 81-97.6 t/s | ~1-1.2 (slow) |
Estimate (memory-bound). Beyond "max context" the KV cache spills to SSD swap and speed drops to the "beyond" figure.
FAQ
Can the Apple M1 Ultra 128GB run Gemma 3 12B?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~81-97.6 tok/s and fits up to 653k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~1-1.2 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 653k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.