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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M3 Max 36GB run CausalLM 14B?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
CausalLM 14B on the Apple M3 Max 36GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 9k | 6.9-8.4 t/s | ~0.2-0.3 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 99k | 13.9-16.7 t/s | ~0.5-0.6 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 138k | 24.8-29.9 t/s | ~0.8-1 (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 36GB run CausalLM 14B?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~24.8-29.9 tok/s and fits up to 138k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~0.8-1 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 138k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.