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Can the Apple M3 Max 128GB run Yi 6B?
Yes โ here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
Yi 6B on the Apple M3 Max 128GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 776k | 22.7-27.3 t/s | ~0.6-0.7 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 822k | 45.3-54.7 t/s | ~1.1-1.4 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 842k | 81-97.6 t/s | ~2-2.4 (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 Yi 6B?โถ
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~81-97.6 tok/s and fits up to 842k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~2-2.4 tok/s.
How much context fits?โถ
At Q4, up to about 842k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.