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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M4 Max 36GB run Retrieval-Augmented Generator?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
Retrieval-Augmented Generator on the Apple M4 Max 36GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 452k | 296.5-357.6 t/s | ~5.4-6.5 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 462k | 593.1-715.2 t/s | ~10.9-13.1 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 466k | 1059.1-1277.2 t/s | ~19.4-23.4 (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 Retrieval-Augmented Generator?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~1059.1-1277.2 tok/s and fits up to 466k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~19.4-23.4 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 466k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.