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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M3 Max 128GB run DistilProtBert?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
DistilProtBert on the Apple M3 Max 128GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 1728k | 591.3-713 t/s | ~14.8-17.8 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 1731k | 1182.6-1426.1 t/s | ~29.6-35.7 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 1733k | 2111.8-2546.6 t/s | ~52.8-63.7 (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 M3 Max 128GB run DistilProtBert?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~2111.8-2546.6 tok/s and fits up to 1733k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~52.8-63.7 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 1733k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.