Can I run this LLM?
Can a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M1 Max (32GB) run Gemma 3 12B?
Gemma · Gemma · estimated for a 32.0 GB machine at 4K context.
Yes — it runs great.
Runs greatBest fit: Gemma 3 12B at Q8_0 · 12.5 GB weights · 18–28 tok/s on a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M1 Max (32GB).
Arena Text Overall · style-controlled
1,342Q8_0 untestedgemma-3-12b-it · published configuration reference · Q8_0 not tested
Arena Text Overall (style-controlled), exact published entry gemma-3-12b-it, 2026-10-08: reference rating 1,341.8. Published confidence bounds 1,332.3–1,351.3. 3,829 votes. Published gemma-3-12b-it configuration reference. Reasoning mode is not disclosed by the Arena dataset. Tested precision, runtime and sampling settings are not disclosed in this dataset. Selected Q8_0 has not been measured by this Arena entry. No quantization quality adjustment is applied.
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
- 13.9 GB
- Weights + KV cache + runtime overhead
- Estimated generation
- 18–28 tok/s
- Estimated first token
- ~13s
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 | 4.8 GB | 6.2 GB | 39–58 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q3_K_M | 6.0 GB | 7.4 GB | 33–49 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q4_K_M | 7.3 GB | 8.7 GB | 28–43 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q5_K_M | 8.5 GB | 9.9 GB | 25–38 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q6_K | 9.7 GB | 11.1 GB | 23–34 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q8_0 | 12.5 GB | 13.9 GB | 18–28 tok/s | Runs great |
| FP16 | 23.5 GB | 24.9 GB | — not resident | Won't fit |
Ran Gemma 3 12B on a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M1 Max (32GB)? Add your real numbers →