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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M3 Max 36GB run GPT-1?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
GPT-1 on the Apple M3 Max 36GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 468k | 871.8-1051.3 t/s | ~29.1-35 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 470k | 1743.6-2102.6 t/s | ~58.1-70.1 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 470k | 3113.6-3754.6 t/s | ~103.8-125.2 (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 GPT-1?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~3113.6-3754.6 tok/s and fits up to 470k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~103.8-125.2 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 470k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.