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text model · Nemotron · macOS

Can I run Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B on Apple M4 Max (128GB)?

Compatibility verdict VRAM threshold engine
Yes, but tight GPU accelerated

Yes. Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B runs on Apple M4 Max (128GB) at Q4_K_M (~87.4 GB of ~96 GB usable).

Needs ~87.4 GB Device usable ~96 GB

Fits at Q4_K_M (~87.4 GB of ~96 GB usable) but with little headroom. Close other apps, or drop to a 2k context to free about a gigabyte.

That figure is at a 4k context and moves about ±15% as context length changes. Apple M4 Max (128GB) leaves ~8.6 GB of headroom.

Q4_K_M needed
~87.4 GB
Usable on device
~96 GB
Device memory
128 GB
Best quant
Q4_K_M
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Which quant fits

Quant ladder vs ~96 GB usable
Q2_K
~53.7 GB
Q3_K_M
~62.1 GB
Q4_K_M
~87.4 GB
Q5_K_M
~88.9 GB
Q6_K
~101.8 GB
Q8_0
~130.9 GB
FP16
~243.4 GB
The line marks Apple M4 Max (128GB)'s ~96 GB budget; rungs past it are too large.

Run it

Install commands macOS

Loads the Q4_K_M weights.

Ollama
$ ollama run nemotron-3.5-super:120b-a12b-q4_K_M
Model Nemotron
Parameters
120B (MoE, 12B active)
Q4_K_M size
83.96 GB
Context
1024k
Ollama tag
nemotron-3.5-super:120b-a12b-q4_K_M
Full Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B requirements →
Device macOS
Memory
128 GB unified
Usable for weights
~96 GB
Power draw
~145 W
Best runtime
MLX direct / Ollama (MLX backend)
Best models for Apple M4 Max (128GB) →

You could also run

Run Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B on other hardware

AMD Ryzen AI Halo (128GB)Apple M5 Max (128GB)Nvidia DGX Spark (128GB)Apple M3 Ultra (256GB)

FAQ

Can Apple M4 Max (128GB) run Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B?

Yes. Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B runs on Apple M4 Max (128GB) at Q4_K_M (~87.4 GB of ~96 GB usable).

How much memory does Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B need?

It is a tight fit on Apple M4 Max (128GB). At Q4_K_M the weights are ~83.96 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~87.4 GB at a 4k context. It is a Mixture-of-Experts model (120B total / 12B active), so all experts must stay in memory; memory tracks total params, not active params.

What is the best tool to run Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B on macOS?

LM Studio for a simple setup; mlx-lm for the most speed. vLLM is NOT a Mac tool, it is a CUDA/Linux serving engine. Unified memory is not a fixed VRAM slice; ~70% is usable for weights.

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Sources

Weights are measured from GGUF files; KV cache and overhead are computed, so totals can vary ~15% with context and runtime. Any tok/s is a bandwidth estimate. See methodology.