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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M2 Max 64GB run phi-3.5-mini?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
phi-3.5-mini on the Apple M2 Max 64GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 740k | 35.8-43.2 t/s | ~0.9-1.1 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 798k | 71.6-86.3 t/s | ~1.8-2.2 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 824k | 127.8-154.1 t/s | ~3.2-3.9 (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 M2 Max 64GB run phi-3.5-mini?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~127.8-154.1 tok/s and fits up to 824k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~3.2-3.9 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 824k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.