Can I run this LLM?
Can a MacBook Air M3 (8GB) run Qwen3 8B?
Qwen · Apache 2.0 · estimated for a 8.0 GB machine at 4K context.
Yes — it runs great.
Best fit: Qwen3 8B at Q2_K · 3.3 GB · 16–24 tok/s on a MacBook Air M3 (8GB).
Every quantization on this machine
| Quant | Size | Speed | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 3.3 GB | 16–24 tok/s | Runs great |
| Q3_K_M | 4.1 GB | 13–20 tok/s | Tight / slow |
| Q4_K_M | 5.0 GB | 11–17 tok/s | Won't fit |
| Q5_K_M | 5.9 GB | 10–15 tok/s | Won't fit |
| Q6_K | 6.7 GB | 9–13 tok/s | Won't fit |
| Q8_0 | 8.7 GB | 7–10 tok/s | Won't fit |
| FP16 | 16.4 GB | 4–6 tok/s | Won't fit |
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