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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M4 Max 36GB run DistilProtBert?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
DistilProtBert on the Apple M4 Max 36GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 464k | 807.1-973.3 t/s | ~14.8-17.8 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 468k | 1614.3-1946.6 t/s | ~29.6-35.7 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 470k | 2882.6-3476.1 t/s | ~52.8-63.7 (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 M4 Max 36GB run DistilProtBert?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~2882.6-3476.1 tok/s and fits up to 470k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~52.8-63.7 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.