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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M4 Max 36GB run Phi-4-Multimodal?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
Phi-4-Multimodal on the Apple M4 Max 36GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 150k | 33.2-40 t/s | ~0.6-0.7 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 193k | 66.3-80 t/s | ~1.2-1.5 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 212k | 118.4-142.8 t/s | ~2.2-2.6 (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 Phi-4-Multimodal?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~118.4-142.8 tok/s and fits up to 212k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~2.2-2.6 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 212k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.