Can a MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB) run Qwen3 32B?

Just about — Qwen3 32B runs at Q2_K (12.3 GB) at about 5–7 tok/s on a MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB).

How much memory does Qwen3 32B need?

Qwen3 32B needs about 14.2 GB at 4K context at its smallest quantization. A MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB) has 24.0 GB.

Tight fit: Qwen3 32B on a MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB) at Q2_K

Yes, but it's tight.

Tight / slow

Best fit: Qwen3 32B at Q2_K · 12.3 GB weights · 5–7 tok/s on a MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB).

Arena Text Overall · style-controlled

1,347Q2_K untested

qwen3-32b · published configuration reference · Q2_K not tested

Arena Text Overall (style-controlled), exact published entry qwen3-32b, 2026-10-08: reference rating 1,346.9. Published confidence bounds 1,337.4–1,356.3. 3,926 votes. Published qwen3-32b configuration reference. Reasoning mode is not disclosed by the Arena dataset. Tested precision, runtime and sampling settings are not disclosed in this dataset. Selected Q2_K 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: 14.2 GB; Weights + KV cache + runtime overhead
Estimated generation: 5–7 tok/s
Estimated first token: ~111s

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.

Qwen3 32B quantizations on MacBook Air / Mac mini M2 (24GB), estimated at 4K context. Weights and total memory are shown separately.
Quant	Weights	Total memory	Speed	Fit
Q2_K	12.3 GB	14.2 GB	5–7 tok/s	Tight / slow
Q3_K_M	16.0 GB	17.8 GB	— not resident	Won't fit
Q4_K_M	19.8 GB	21.6 GB	— not resident	Won't fit
Q5_K_M	23.2 GB	25.1 GB	— not resident	Won't fit
Q6_K	26.9 GB	28.8 GB	— not resident	Won't fit
Q8_0	34.8 GB	36.7 GB	— not resident	Won't fit
FP16	65.5 GB	67.4 GB	— not resident	Won't fit

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