MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GBBudget pick
128 GB Unified (+32)
C
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.5.5 tok/s decode
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$2,499 MSRP
Can BaichuanMed OCR 72B i1 run on MacBook Pro M2 Max 96GB?
YES — Tight Fit
C44Usable
○Estimated from fit model
BaichuanMed OCR 72B i1 needs ~63.6 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M2 Max 96GB has 69.1 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~5 tok/s.
Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: TightBandwidth: LowStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory bandwidth
Share:
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.
Select quantization to explore
Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 63.6 GB, 5.3 tok/s, Tight fit
63.6 GB required69.1 GB available
92% VRAM used
Fit status
Tight fit
Decode
5.3 tok/s
TTFT
36650 ms
Safe context
26K
Memory
63.6 GB / 69.1 GB
Memory breakdown
Weights43.9 GB
KV Cache8.4 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom10.4 GB
See how fast it feels
See how fast it feelsBaichuanMed OCR 72B i1 on MacBook Pro M2 Max 96GB
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: 5.3 tok/s decode · 36.6s TTFT (warm) · 13 tok/s prefill
What limits this setup
The model fits in shared memory, but shared-memory bandwidth is now the real limiter.
Fit does not mean dedicated-VRAM speed
Unified or shared memory can make a model technically fit, but sustained tokens per second may still trail a discrete high-bandwidth GPU with less total memory.
Very little memory headroom
You can run the model, but there is not much room left for longer context, bigger batches, extra apps, or future model updates.
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
Prioritize bandwidth, not only capacity
If this workload feels slow, the next useful step is often a GPU tier with materially faster memory bandwidth rather than only a small bump in capacity.
Buy headroom, not only minimum fit
A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.
Performance by workload
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | C | Tight fit | 5.3 tok/s | 19991 ms | 26K |
| Coding | C | Tight fit | 5.3 tok/s | 36650 ms | 26K |
| Agentic Coding | C | Runs with offload (needs ~1.8 GB host RAM) | 4.9 tok/s | 57783 ms | 26K |
| Reasoning | C | Tight fit | 5.3 tok/s | 43314 ms | 26K |
| RAG | C | Runs with offload (needs ~1.8 GB host RAM) | 4.9 tok/s | 72229 ms | 26K |
Quantization options
How BaichuanMed OCR 72B i1 (72B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M2 Max 96GB (69.1 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 28.1 GB | Low | C45 |
Q3_K_S | 3 | 35.3 GB | Low | C47 |
NVFP4 | 4 | 40.3 GB | Medium | C47 |
Q4_K_M | 4 | 43.9 GB | Medium | C47 |
Q5_K_MBest for your GPU | 5 | 51.8 GB | High | C47 |
Q6_K | 6 | 59.0 GB | High | F0 |
Q8_0 | 8 | 77.0 GB | Very High | F0 |
F16 | 16 | 147.6 GB | Maximum | F0 |
Get started
Copy-paste commands to run BaichuanMed OCR 72B i1 on your machine.
Run
lms load hf-mradermacher--baichuanmed-ocr-72b-i1-gguf && lms server startUpgrade options
Hardware that runs BaichuanMed OCR 72B i1 well
Mac Studio M2 Ultra 128GBBest value
128 GB Unified (+32)800 GB/s (+400)
C
Raises estimated decode speed by about 100%.10.6 tok/s decode
Raises estimated decode speed by about 100%.
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$3,999 MSRP
Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128GBApple upgrade
128 GB Unified (+32)800 GB/s (+400)
C
Raises estimated decode speed by about 89%.10 tok/s decode
Raises estimated decode speed by about 89%.
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$3,999 MSRP
3350 GB/s (+2950)
B
Raises estimated decode speed by about 1109%.64.1 tok/s decode
Raises estimated decode speed by about 1109%.
Moves the workload away from shared memory into dedicated accelerator memory.
~$40,000 MSRP