Can I run this LLM?
Can a MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB) run DeepSeek-R1-Distill 14B?
DeepSeek · Apache 2.0 · estimated for a 24.0 GB machine at 4K context.
Yes, but it's tight.
Tight / slowBest fit: DeepSeek-R1-Distill 14B at Q2_K · 5.8 GB weights · 10–15 tok/s on a MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB).
Arena Text Overall · style-controlled
UnratedNo exact matchNo reviewed exact Arena match
No reviewed exact model/configuration match in the Arena Text Overall style-controlled snapshot. No family or editorial score is substituted. Local quantization quality is unmeasured.
Snapshot published 2026-10-08 · snapshot imported 2026-10-11 UTC · validated last-good data · manual refresh
Arena leaderboard dataset · Arena / lmarena-ai, Arena Leaderboard Dataset (CC BY 4.0). Selected Text Overall style-controlled rows; field names adapted, ratings unchanged. · dataset CC BY 4.0 · revision e16f90232986
- Total memory at 4K context
- 7.4 GB
- Weights + KV cache + runtime overhead
- Estimated generation
- 10–15 tok/s
- Estimated first token
- ~51s
Every quantization on this machine
On small screens, each quant lists every metric below its name. On wider screens, scroll sideways for total memory, speed and fit. Keyboard: focus the table, then use the arrow keys. Quant names stay visible.
| Quant | Weights | Total memory | Speed | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 5.8 GB | 7.4 GB | 10–15 tok/s | Tight / slow |
| Q3_K_M | 7.3 GB | 8.9 GB | 8–12 tok/s | Tight / slow |
| Q4_K_M | 9.0 GB | 10.6 GB | 7–10 tok/s | Tight / slow |
| Q5_K_M | 10.5 GB | 12.1 GB | 6–9 tok/s | Tight / slow |
| Q6_K | 12.1 GB | 13.7 GB | 5–8 tok/s | Tight / slow |
| Q8_0 | 15.7 GB | 17.3 GB | — not resident | Won't fit |
| FP16 | 29.6 GB | 31.2 GB | — not resident | Won't fit |
Ran DeepSeek-R1-Distill 14B on a MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB)? Add your real numbers →