Can I run this LLM?
Can a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M5 Max (128GB) run Gemma 3 27B?
Gemma · Gemma · estimated for a 128.0 GB machine at 4K context.
Yes — it runs great.
Runs greatBest fit: Gemma 3 27B at Q8_0 · 28.7 GB weights · 13–19 tok/s on a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M5 Max (128GB).
Arena Text Overall · style-controlled
1,365Q8_0 untestedgemma-3-27b-it · published configuration reference · Q8_0 not tested
Arena Text Overall (style-controlled), exact published entry gemma-3-27b-it, 2026-10-08: reference rating 1,365.4. Published confidence bounds 1,361.7–1,369.1. 46,672 votes. Published gemma-3-27b-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
- 30.3 GB
- Weights + KV cache + runtime overhead
- Estimated generation
- 13–19 tok/s
- Estimated first token
- ~17s
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 | 10.5 GB | 12.1 GB | 30–45 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q3_K_M | 13.4 GB | 15.0 GB | 25–37 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q4_K_M | 16.6 GB | 18.1 GB | 21–31 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q5_K_M | 19.3 GB | 20.8 GB | 18–28 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q6_K | 22.2 GB | 23.7 GB | 16–24 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q8_0 | 28.7 GB | 30.3 GB | 13–19 tok/s | Runs great |
| FP16 | 54.0 GB | 55.6 GB | 7–11 tok/s | Tight / slow |
Ran Gemma 3 27B on a MacBook Pro / Mac Studio M5 Max (128GB)? Add your real numbers →