Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB as fast as VRAM for aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can often fit larger models thanks to unified memory, but a discrete GPU with dedicated high-bandwidth VRAM may still decode faster once the model fits. For this combination, the important distinction is capacity versus sustained throughput.

Can aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

YES — Runs Great

C44Usable

Estimated from fit model

aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 needs ~38.0 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB has 92.2 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~12 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: LowStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced

Operating mode

Choose the run profile you care about

Interactive favors responsiveness, while light API and scale-out lean harder on serving readiness. The fit stays the same, but the recommendation lens changes.

Current mode

Balanced

Balanced for general local use. Keeps the ranking neutral across personal and serving workflows.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 38.0 GB, 12.3 tok/s, Runs well

38.0 GB required92.2 GB available

41% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

12.3 tok/s

TTFT

15746 ms

Safe context

247K

Memory

38.0 GB / 92.2 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights19.5 GB

KV Cache3.8 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom13.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsaya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>What is local AI inference?
Local AI inference means running an AI language model directly on your own hardware — your laptop, desktop, or server — instead of sending requests to a remote cloud API.

When you run inference locally the model weights are loaded into your GPU or unified memory. Each token you generate requires reading those weights from memory, so memory bandwidth is the main bottleneck for decode speed.

Key benefits of running locally:
  - Full privacy: your prompts never leave your machine
  - No per-token cost or rate limits
  - Works offline once the model is downloaded
  - Latency depends only on your hardware
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>How much VRAM do I need?
It depends on the model size and quantization level. A rough rule of thumb:

  Model size     Q4 (4-bit)    Q8 (8-bit)    FP16
  7B params      ~4.3 GB       ~7.5 GB       ~14 GB
  13B params     ~7.9 GB       ~13.9 GB      ~26 GB
  70B params     ~42.7 GB      ~74.9 GB      ~140 GB

Most people use 4-bit quantization (Q4_K_M) which gives 90-95% of full quality at a fraction of the memory. A 24 GB GPU can comfortably run most 7B-13B models.
Estimated: 12.3 tok/s decode · 15.7s TTFT (warm) · 31 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

This setup is broadly balanced for this model.

Shared-memory contention still exists

The OS, browser, and inference runtime all compete for the same physical memory pool, so real-world headroom is less forgiving than raw capacity suggests.

Best improvement path

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	C	Runs well	12.3 tok/s	8589 ms	247K
Coding	C	Runs well	12.3 tok/s	15746 ms	247K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	12.3 tok/s	22903 ms	247K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	12.3 tok/s	18609 ms	247K
RAG	C	Runs well	12.3 tok/s	28629 ms	247K

Quantization options

How aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 (32B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB (92.2 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	12.5 GB	Low	D40
Q3_K_S	3	15.7 GB	Low	C40
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-mradermacher--aya-expanse-32b-heretic-mpoa-i1-gguf && lms server start

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 well

AMD Instinct MI350X 288GBBudget pick

288 GB VRAM (+160)8000 GB/s (+7600)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 2333%.299.2 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 2333%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

~$8,000 MSRP

RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition 96GBBest value

1792 GB/s (+1392)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 527%.77.1 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 527%.

~$9,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB run aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can run aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 12.3 tok/s.

How much VRAM does aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 need?

aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 (32B parameters) requires approximately 38.0 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1?

The recommended quantization for aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB, aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 achieves approximately 12.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 15746ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB run aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 for coding?

For coding workloads, aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB receives a C grade with 12.3 tok/s and 247K context.

What context window can aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB, aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1 can safely use up to 247K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB See all hardware for aya expanse 32b heretic MPOA i1

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