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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M3 Max 48GB run Tri-21B?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
Tri-21B on the Apple M3 Max 48GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 915 | 6.6-7.9 t/s | ~0.2-0.2 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 80k | 13.1-15.8 t/s | ~0.3-0.4 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 115k | 23.4-28.3 t/s | ~0.6-0.7 (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 48GB run Tri-21B?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~23.4-28.3 tok/s and fits up to 115k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~0.6-0.7 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 115k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.