Can I Run Llama 3.3 on Apple M3 Max?

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated December 8, 2024

Yes, comfortably — you'll have ~38 GB of headroom running Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at Q2_K_XS (Tight) (26 GB, ~15 tok/s (est.)).

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Check price on Amazon — Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max

Apple M3 Max Specs

VRAM64 GB unified memory
Memory Bandwidth400 GB/s

Llama 3.3 70B Instruct on the Apple M3 Max: VRAM by quantization

QuantVRAM neededFits 64 GB?Max context
F16142.1 GB✗ No
Q8_076.5 GB✗ No
Q6_K59.5 GB✓ Yes16K
Q5_K_M51.8 GB✓ Yes32K
Q4_K_M44.4 GB✓ Yes32K
Q3_K_M32 GB✓ Yes64K
Q2_K25.2 GB✓ Yes64K

VRAM needed assumes a 4K-token context with an f16 KV cache; “Max context” is the largest window that still fits in 64 GB of unified memory. Figures are estimates from parameter count, quantization and memory bandwidth — the analyzer lets you tune KV-cache quant and context.

Llama 3.3 Sizes That Fit the Apple M3 Max

Llama 3.3 70B InstructQ2_K_XS (Tight) · 26 GB · ~15 tok/s (est.)
Buy vs. rent Llama 3.3
Buy the GPU
~$2,499
Apple M3 Max · MSRP
Rent by the hour
from $0.55/hr
A100 (40 GB) class

At 2 hrs/day, buying (~$2,499) beats renting at $0.55/hr after about 6.3 years.

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Vast.ai $0.55/hr · typical low · varies
Rent on Vast.ai →

Cloud rates verified 2026-07 — estimates, and marketplace prices vary. Buying price is GPU MSRP only, not a full PC.

FAQ

Will Llama 3.3 run on the Apple M3 Max?

Yes, comfortably — you'll have ~38 GB of headroom running Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at Q2_K_XS (Tight) (26 GB, ~15 tok/s (est.)).

Which Llama 3.3 variant fits best on the Apple M3 Max?

Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at Q2_K_XS (Tight) quantization (26 GB), estimated ~15 tokens/sec.

Llama 3.3 on Other GPUs

Popular Models on the Apple M3 Max

VRAM Tier

Troubleshooting

Buying Guide

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