🔌
New: connect Claude & other AIs to GenAIList over MCP — research the catalog and contribute to the shared knowledge base. Learn how →
// RUN — FITS
Can the Apple M4 Max 48GB run Qwen2.5-3B?
Yes — here's how fast and up to what context, with real measured numbers.
Qwen2.5-3B on the Apple M4 Max 48GB
| Quant | Fits? | Max context | Speed | Beyond context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16 | yes | 542k | 60.1-72.4 t/s | ~1.1-1.3 (slow) |
| Q8 | yes | 589k | 120.2-144.9 t/s | ~2.2-2.7 (slow) |
| Q4 | yes | 610k | 214.6-258.7 t/s | ~3.9-4.7 (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 48GB run Qwen2.5-3B?▶
Yes. At Q4 it generates ~214.6-258.7 tok/s and fits up to 610k context; beyond that it spills to SSD swap and slows to ~3.9-4.7 tok/s.
How much context fits?▶
At Q4, up to about 610k tokens stay in fast memory; longer context spills to SSD swap and throughput collapses.