// RUN โ€” FITS

Can the Apple M4 Max 48GB run MSA Transformer?

Yes โ€” here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.

MSA Transformer on the Apple M4 Max 48GB

QuantFits?Max contextSpeedBeyond context
FP16 yes 633k 1856.4-2238.6 t/s ~34-41 (slow)
Q8 yes 635k 3712.8-4477.2 t/s ~68-82 (slow)
Q4 yes 635k 6630-7995 t/s ~121.4-146.4 (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 48GB run MSA Transformer?โ–ถ

Yes. At Q4 it generates ~6630-7995 tok/s and fits up to 635k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~121.4-146.4 tok/s.

How much context fits?โ–ถ

At Q4, up to about 635k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.