DeepSeek V3 on Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified)
Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) can run DeepSeek V3 at 3 tok/s at Q2_K, though performance is marginal. Consider a higher-end GPU for better results.
Model Size
671B
Device VRAM
128 GB
Bandwidth
546 GB/s
Quantizations Tested
1
Performance by Quantization
Each row shows DeepSeek V3 performance at a different quality level on Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified).
| Quantization | Speed | TTFT | Fits in VRAM | Rating | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 3 tok/s | 5000ms | ✓ Yes | Marginal | estimated |
Notes
Q2_K
Barely fits at Q2_K (115GB) with heavy quality loss. The 128GB unified memory is just enough. Extremely slow due to model size vs bandwidth. Included to show what's technically possible — not recommended for production use.
About DeepSeek V3
DeepSeek V3 (671B) is a chat, coding, ai coding, reasoning, multi-purpose model. Massive MoE model rivaling GPT-4 class. Only ~37B parameters active per token despite 671B total. Requires multi-GPU or very large unified memory (128GB+ Apple Silicon at Q2/Q3). Not for casual home use — included for completeness and to show what the high end looks like.
View all DeepSeek V3 hardware options →About Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified)
Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) has 128 GB at 546 GB/s. Available in MacBook Pro 16", Mac Studio.
See all models Apple M4 Max (128GB Unified) can run →Source: MLX performance estimates (2026-03-15)
Data last updated: 2026-03-15