Llama 3.1 8B Instruct on Apple M4 Max (64GB Unified)
Apple M4 Max (64GB Unified) runs Llama 3.1 8B Instruct excellently at 55 tok/s at Q8_0. This is a strong pairing.
Model Size
8.03B
Device VRAM
64 GB
Bandwidth
546 GB/s
Quantizations Tested
1
Performance by Quantization
Each row shows Llama 3.1 8B Instruct performance at a different quality level on Apple M4 Max (64GB Unified).
| Quantization | Speed | TTFT | Fits in VRAM | Rating | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q8_0 | 55 tok/s | 150ms | ✓ Yes | Excellent | estimated |
Notes
Q8_0
Same speed as 36GB variant — bandwidth is identical. Extra memory enables concurrent model loading.
64GB allows running Llama 8B + Qwen Coder 32B + embeddings simultaneously. Total concurrent VRAM ~28GB.
About Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (8.03B) is a chat, coding, ai coding, reasoning, multi-purpose model. Best-in-class 8B model. Strong general capabilities with excellent coding support. The go-to small model for local inference — fast, accurate, and well-supported across all inference engines.
View all Llama 3.1 8B Instruct hardware options →About Apple M4 Max (64GB Unified)
Apple M4 Max (64GB Unified) has 64 GB at 546 GB/s. Available in MacBook Pro 16", Mac Studio.
See all models Apple M4 Max (64GB Unified) can run →Source: MLX benchmark results (2026-01-15)
Data last updated: 2026-03-01