Will It Run AI

Can DeepSeek V4 Pro run on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run
Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs

DeepSeek V4 Pro needs ~902.6 GB but MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB only has 25.9 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: No fitBandwidth: LowStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory capacity
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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

NVFP4 (Medium quality) — 868.6 GB, exceeds 25.9 GB available
868.6 GB required25.9 GB available
3354% VRAM needed

842.7 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

2.0 tok/s

TTFT

96800 ms

Safe context

4K

Memory

868.6 GB / 25.9 GB

Offload

100%

Memory breakdown

Weights862.0 GB
KV Cache1.9 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom3.9 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower
See how fast it feelsDeepSeek V4 Pro on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Write a Python function to sort a list
Here's a Python function that sorts a list using quicksort: def quicksort(arr): if len(arr) <= 1: return arr pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2] left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot] middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot] right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot] return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right) # Example usage numbers = [3, 6, 8, 10, 1, 2, 1] print(quicksort(numbers)) # [1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10] The algorithm picks a pivot, partitions the list into smaller, equal, and larger elements, then recursively sorts each partition and concatenates the results.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>Now add type hints and a docstring
def quicksort(arr: list[int]) -> list[int]: """Sort a list using the quicksort algorithm. Args: arr: List of integers to sort. Returns: A new sorted list. """ if len(arr) <= 1: return arr pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2] left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot] middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot] right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot] return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right) Added type hints for the input and return type, plus a Google-style docstring.
Estimated: 2.0 tok/s decode · 96.8s TTFT (warm) · 5 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable shared or unified memory is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 902.6 GB, but this setup only exposes 25.9 GB of usable shared or unified memory.

Best improvement path

Move to a larger memory pool

A larger unified-memory SKU or a discrete high-bandwidth GPU is the cleanest way to make this model practical.

Performance by workload

WorkloadGradeFitDecodeTTFTContext
ChatFToo heavy2.0 tok/s52800 ms4K
CodingFToo heavy2.0 tok/s96800 ms4K
Agentic CodingFToo heavy2.0 tok/s140800 ms4K
ReasoningFToo heavy2.0 tok/s114400 ms4K
RAGFToo heavy2.0 tok/s176000 ms4K

Quantization options

How DeepSeek V4 Pro (1600B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB (25.9 GB usable).

QuantBitsVRAMQualityFit
Q2_K
2
624.0 GB
LowF0
Q3_K_S
3
784.0 GB
LowF0
NVFP4
4
896.0 GB
MediumF0
Q4_K_M
4
976.0 GB
MediumF0
Q5_K_M
5
1152.0 GB
HighF0
Q6_K
6
1312.0 GB
HighF0
Q8_0
8
1712.0 GB
Very HighF0
F16
16
3280.0 GB
MaximumF0

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB run DeepSeek V4 Pro?

No, DeepSeek V4 Pro requires more memory than MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB provides.

How much VRAM does DeepSeek V4 Pro need?

DeepSeek V4 Pro (1600B parameters) requires approximately 902.6 GB of memory with NVFP4 quantization.

What is the best quantization for DeepSeek V4 Pro?

The recommended quantization for DeepSeek V4 Pro is NVFP4, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will DeepSeek V4 Pro run at on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB, DeepSeek V4 Pro achieves approximately 2.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 96800ms using NVFP4 quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB run DeepSeek V4 Pro for coding?

For coding workloads, DeepSeek V4 Pro on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB receives a F grade with 2.0 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can DeepSeek V4 Pro use on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB, DeepSeek V4 Pro can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 1.0M, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if DeepSeek V4 Pro feels slow on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

Move to a larger memory pool. A larger unified-memory SKU or a discrete high-bandwidth GPU is the cleanest way to make this model practical.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB as fast as VRAM for DeepSeek V4 Pro?

Not always. MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 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 M4 Max 36GBSee all hardware for DeepSeek V4 Pro
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