// RUN — FITS

Can the Apple M3 Max 128GB run Llama 3.2 1B?

Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.

Llama 3.2 1B on the Apple M3 Max 128GB

QuantFits?Max contextSpeedBeyond context
FP16 yes 1697k 110.6-133.3 t/s ~2.8-3.3 (slow)
Q8 yes 1716k 221.1-266.7 t/s ~5.5-6.7 (slow)
Q4 yes 1724k 394.9-476.2 t/s ~9.9-11.9 (slow)

Estimate (memory-bound). Beyond "max context" the KV cache spills to SSD swap and speed drops to the "beyond" figure.

→ All models on the Apple M3 Max 128GB → Llama 3.2 1B specs → Other hardware

FAQ

Can the Apple M3 Max 128GB run Llama 3.2 1B?▶

Yes. At Q4 it generates ~394.9-476.2 tok/s and fits up to 1724k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~9.9-11.9 tok/s.

How much context fits?▶

At Q4, up to about 1724k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.