# Can I run DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama 8B on Apple M4 Max (64GB)?

> **Yes, it runs.** Runs at Q4_K_M using ~6.4 GB of ~48 GB usable. You have room for FP16 for higher quality.

Last validated: 2026-06-15.

## Memory math
- DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama 8B: 8B; Q4_K_M weighs 4.92 GB on disk.
- At Q4_K_M with a 4k context it needs ~6.4 GB (weights + KV cache + ~0.8 GB runtime overhead, ±15% with context length).
- Apple M4 Max (64GB): 64 GB unified, ~48 GB usable for model weights.
- Headroom: ~41.6 GB; it also fits FP16 for higher quality.

## How to run
Recommended quant: Q4_K_M. Best tool on macOS: LM Studio.

```sh
ollama run deepseek-r1:8b
```

## Run DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama 8B on other devices
- [Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b/nvidia-rtx-3060-12gb)
- [Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (12GB)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b/nvidia-rtx-4070-12gb)
- [Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b/samsung-s24-ultra)
- [Generic Android Phone (12GB RAM)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b/android-generic-12gb)
- [iPhone 17 Pro](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b/iphone-17-pro)
- [iPhone Air](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b/iphone-air)

## Other models that run on Apple M4 Max (64GB)
- [Llama 3.3 70B (70B)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/llama-3.3-70b/apple-m4-max-64gb)
- [Mixtral 8x7B (46.7B)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/mixtral-8x7b/apple-m4-max-64gb)
- [Command R 35B (35B)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/command-r-35b/apple-m4-max-64gb)
- [Yi 1.5 34B (34B)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/yi-1.5-34b/apple-m4-max-64gb)
- [Qwen2.5 32B (32B)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/qwen2.5-32b/apple-m4-max-64gb)
- [Qwen3 32B (32B)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/qwen3-32b/apple-m4-max-64gb)

Estimate, not a guarantee. Sources: https://ollama.com/library/deepseek-r1, https://huggingface.co/bartowski/DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-8B-GGUF, https://github.com/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1.
More: https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b/apple-m4-max-64gb