text model · SmolLM2 · macOS
Can I run SmolLM2 135M on Apple M5 Max (128GB)?
Yes. SmolLM2 135M runs on Apple M5 Max (128GB) at Q4_K_M (~1 GB of ~96 GB usable).
Runs at Q4_K_M using ~1 GB of ~96 GB usable. You have room for FP16 for higher quality.
- Q4_K_M needed
- ~1 GB
- Usable on device
- ~96 GB
- Device memory
- 128 GB
- Best quant
- Q4_K_M
Run it
Pick your tool. All three load the same Q4_K_M weights.
ollama run smollm2:135m llama-cli -hf bartowski/SmolLM2-135M-Instruct-GGUF:Q4_K_M lms get bartowski/SmolLM2-135M-Instruct-GGUF 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.
- Parameters
- 0.135B
- Q4_K_M size
- 0.105 GB
- Q8_0 size
- 0.145 GB
- Context
- 2k
- Ollama tag
- smollm2:135m
- Memory
- 128 GB unified
- Usable for weights
- ~96 GB
- Best runtime
- MLX direct / Ollama (MLX backend)
You could also run
Run SmolLM2 135M on other hardware
FAQ
Can Apple M5 Max (128GB) run SmolLM2 135M?
Yes. SmolLM2 135M runs on Apple M5 Max (128GB) at Q4_K_M (~1 GB of ~96 GB usable).
How much memory does SmolLM2 135M need?
Apple M5 Max (128GB) has room to spare. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~0.105 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~1 GB at a 4k context.
What is the best tool to run SmolLM2 135M 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.
Sources
Memory figures are estimates. See methodology.