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// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M4 Max 36GB run SmolLM-1.7B?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
SmolLM-1.7B on the Apple M4 Max 36GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 419k | 108.6-130.9 t/s | ~2-2.4 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 445k | 217.1-261.8 t/s | ~4-4.8 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 457k | 387.7-467.5 t/s | ~7.1-8.6 (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 SmolLM-1.7B?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~387.7-467.5 tok/s and fits up to 457k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~7.1-8.6 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 457k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.