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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M3 Max 36GB run Gemma 2B?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
Gemma 2B on the Apple M3 Max 36GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 395k | 40.7-49.1 t/s | ~1.4-1.6 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 433k | 81.4-98.1 t/s | ~2.7-3.3 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 450k | 145.3-175.3 t/s | ~4.8-5.8 (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 Gemma 2B?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~145.3-175.3 tok/s and fits up to 450k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~4.8-5.8 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 450k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.