Can I Run Mistral Small 4 on Apple M3 Max?
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated September 29, 2026
Yes, comfortably — Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B at Q4_K_M needs 75.5 GB at 8K context (71.8 GB weights + 3.7 GB KV cache/overhead), leaving ~20.5 GB of the Apple M3 Max's 96 GB usable memory, at ~14 tok/s (est.), with room for up to 64K context.
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Apple M3 Max Specs
| VRAM | 128 GB unified memory |
| Memory Bandwidth | 400 GB/s |
Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B on the Apple M3 Max: VRAM by quantization
| Quant | VRAM needed | Fits 128 GB? | Max context | Whole PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F16 | 241.7 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q8_0 | 130.1 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q6_K | 101.2 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q5_K_M | 88 GB | ✓ Yes | 16K | — |
| Q4_K_M | 75.5 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | — |
| Q3_K_M | 54.4 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | — |
| Q2_K | 42.8 GB | ✓ Yes | 128K | — |
Assumes an 8K-token context with an f16 KV cache, on an estimated architecture — this model publishes no config we can read. A longer window needs more; a quantized KV cache needs less. “Max context” is the largest window that still fits in 128 GB of unified memory. Figures are estimates from parameter count, quantization and memory bandwidth — the analyzer lets you tune KV-cache quant and context.
Context costs VRAM too. At Q4_K_M on the Apple M3 Max: 8K 75.5 GB · 32K 84.1 GB · 128K 118.3 GB ✗. Past 128K it no longer fits 128 GB — a q8_0 KV cache buys roughly half of that back, which the calculator will price for you.
No compatible GPU? Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B on 64 GB of system RAM, CPU only: runs.
Mistral Small 4 Sizes That Fit the Apple M3 Max (at 8K context)
| Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B | Q4_K_M · 75.5 GB at 8K context · ~14 tok/s (est.) |
Mistral Small 4 needs ~76 GB but this GPU has 128 GB. Rent a A100 (80 GB)-class GPU by the hour instead of buying one:
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FAQ
Can I run Mistral Small 4 on the Apple M3 Max?
Yes, comfortably — Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B at Q4_K_M needs 75.5 GB at 8K context (71.8 GB weights + 3.7 GB KV cache/overhead), leaving ~20.5 GB of the Apple M3 Max's 96 GB usable memory, at ~14 tok/s (est.), with room for up to 64K context.
What's the best Mistral Small 4 size for the Apple M3 Max?
Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B at Q4_K_M quantization needs 75.5 GB at 8K context (71.8 GB weights + 3.7 GB KV cache/overhead), estimated ~14 tokens/sec, up to 64K context.
Mistral Small 4 on Other GPUs
- Mistral Small 4 on Apple M4 Max
- Mistral Small 4 on Apple M1 Ultra
- Mistral Small 4 on Apple M5 Max
- Mistral Small 4 on NVIDIA DGX Spark
- Mistral Small 4 on AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395
Popular Models on the Apple M3 Max
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