Can I run this LLM?
Can a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M4 Max (128GB) run Gemma 3 12B?
Gemma · Gemma · estimated for a 128.0 GB machine at 4K context.
Yes — it runs great.
Runs greatBest fit: Gemma 3 12B at FP16 · 23.5 GB weights · 14–21 tok/s on a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M4 Max (128GB).
Arena Text Overall · style-controlled
1,342FP16 untestedgemma-3-12b-it · published configuration reference · FP16 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 FP16 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
- 24.9 GB
- Weights + KV cache + runtime overhead
- Estimated generation
- 14–21 tok/s
- Estimated first token
- ~8.4s
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 | 49–73 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q3_K_M | 6.0 GB | 7.4 GB | 42–63 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q4_K_M | 7.3 GB | 8.7 GB | 37–55 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q5_K_M | 8.5 GB | 9.9 GB | 33–49 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q6_K | 9.7 GB | 11.1 GB | 30–45 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q8_0 | 12.5 GB | 13.9 GB | 24–36 tok/s | Runs great |
| FP16 | 23.5 GB | 24.9 GB | 14–21 tok/s | Runs great |
Ran Gemma 3 12B on a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M4 Max (128GB)? Add your real numbers →