// RUN — FITS

Can the Apple M3 Max 36GB run Gemma 2 2B?

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

Gemma 2 2B on the Apple M3 Max 36GB

QuantFits?Max contextSpeedBeyond context
FP16 yes 392k 39.2-47.3 t/s ~1.3-1.6 (slow)
Q8 yes 432k 78.5-94.6 t/s ~2.6-3.2 (slow)
Q4 yes 449k 140.1-169 t/s ~4.7-5.6 (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 36GB → Gemma 2 2B specs → Other hardware

FAQ

Can the Apple M3 Max 36GB run Gemma 2 2B?▶

Yes. At Q4 it generates ~140.1-169 tok/s and fits up to 449k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~4.7-5.6 tok/s.

How much context fits?▶

At Q4, up to about 449k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.