Can Yi 1.5 34B run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB?

YES — Runs Great

B63Good

Estimated from fit model

Yi 1.5 34B needs ~32.2 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB has 46.1 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) — 32.2 GB, 12.6 tok/s, Runs well

32.2 GB required46.1 GB available

70% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

12.6 tok/s

TTFT

15409 ms

Safe context

Memory

32.2 GB / 46.1 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights20.7 GB

KV Cache3.7 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom6.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsYi 1.5 34B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step.

Given information:
  - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour)
  - Time  = 2.5 hours

Formula: Distance = Speed x Time

Calculation:
  Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h
           = 150 miles

The train travels 150 miles.

Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time.

Breakdown:
  - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles
  - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance)
  - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles

Total distance: 150 miles (same)
Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours
Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph

The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 12.6 tok/s decode · 15.4s 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	B	Runs well	11.6 tok/s	9126 ms	4K
Coding	B	Runs well	11.6 tok/s	16730 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	B	Runs well	11.6 tok/s	24335 ms	4K
Reasoning	B	Runs well	11.6 tok/s	19772 ms	4K
RAG	B	Runs well	11.6 tok/s	30419 ms	4K

Quantization options

How Yi 1.5 34B (34B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB (46.1 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	13.3 GB	Low	B57
Q3_K_S	3	16.7 GB	Low	B58
NVFP4	4	19.0 GB	Medium	B59
Q4_K_M	4	20.7 GB	Medium	B60
Q5_K_M	5	24.5 GB	High	B61
Q6_K	6	27.9 GB	High	B61
Q8_0Best for your GPU	8	36.4 GB	Very High	B60
F16	16	69.7 GB	Maximum	F0

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Yi 1.5 34B on your machine.

Run

lms load Yi-1.5-34B-Chat && lms server start

アップグレードオプション

Yi 1.5 34Bを快適に動かすハードウェア

Radeon Pro W7900 48GBコスパ重視

864 GB/s (+464)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 112%.26.7 tok/sデコード

Raises estimated decode speed by about 112%.

〜$3,999 MSRP

Radeon PRO W7900 DS 48GBコスパ最良

864 GB/s (+464)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 112%.26.7 tok/sデコード

Raises estimated decode speed by about 112%.

〜$3,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB run Yi 1.5 34B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB can run Yi 1.5 34B with a B grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 11.6 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Yi 1.5 34B need?

Yi 1.5 34B (34B parameters) requires approximately 32.2 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Yi 1.5 34B?

The recommended quantization for Yi 1.5 34B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Yi 1.5 34B run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB, Yi 1.5 34B achieves approximately 11.6 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 16730ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB run Yi 1.5 34B for coding?

For coding workloads, Yi 1.5 34B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB receives a B grade with 11.6 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can Yi 1.5 34B use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB, Yi 1.5 34B can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 4K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB as fast as VRAM for Yi 1.5 34B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB 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.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB See all hardware for Yi 1.5 34B

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