Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB as fast as VRAM for CodeLlama 13B Instruct?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB can often fit larger models thanks to unified memory, but a discrete GPU with dedicated high-bandwidth VRAM may still decode faster once the model fits. For this combination, the important distinction is capacity versus sustained throughput.

Can CodeLlama 13B Instruct run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

YES — Runs Great

A78Great

Estimated from fit model

CodeLlama 13B Instruct needs ~26.2 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB has 34.6 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~30 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: LowStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced

Operating mode

Choose the run profile you care about

Interactive favors responsiveness, while light API and scale-out lean harder on serving readiness. The fit stays the same, but the recommendation lens changes.

Current mode

Balanced

Balanced for general local use. Keeps the ranking neutral across personal and serving workflows.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 26.2 GB, 30.3 tok/s, Runs well

26.2 GB required34.6 GB available

76% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

30.3 tok/s

TTFT

6397 ms

Safe context

16K

Memory

26.2 GB / 34.6 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights7.9 GB

KV Cache12.2 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom5.2 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsCodeLlama 13B Instruct on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Write a Python function to sort a list
Here's a Python function that sorts a list using quicksort:

def quicksort(arr):
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left   = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right  = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

# Example usage
numbers = [3, 6, 8, 10, 1, 2, 1]
print(quicksort(numbers))  # [1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10]

The algorithm picks a pivot, partitions the list into smaller, equal, and larger elements, then recursively sorts each partition and concatenates the results.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>Now add type hints and a docstring
def quicksort(arr: list[int]) -> list[int]:
    """Sort a list using the quicksort algorithm.

    Args:
        arr: List of integers to sort.

    Returns:
        A new sorted list.
    """
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left   = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right  = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

Added type hints for the input and return type, plus a Google-style docstring.
Estimated: 30.3 tok/s decode · 6.4s TTFT (warm) · 76 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

This setup is broadly balanced for this model.

Shared-memory contention still exists

The OS, browser, and inference runtime all compete for the same physical memory pool, so real-world headroom is less forgiving than raw capacity suggests.

Best improvement path

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	A	Runs well	30.3 tok/s	3489 ms	16K
Coding	A	Runs well	30.3 tok/s	6397 ms	16K
Agentic Coding	B	Very compromised (needs ~0.8 GB host RAM)	25.4 tok/s	11068 ms	16K
Reasoning	A	Runs well	30.3 tok/s	7560 ms	16K
RAG	B	Very compromised (needs ~0.8 GB host RAM)	25.4 tok/s	13835 ms

Quantization options

How CodeLlama 13B Instruct (13B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB (34.6 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	5.1 GB	Low	B68
Q3_K_S	3	6.4 GB	Low	B69
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run CodeLlama 13B Instruct on your machine.

Run

lms load CodeLlama-13b-Instruct-hf && lms server start

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct	30.5B	S	36.3 tok/s
Qwen 3.5 27B	27B	S	15.7 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB run CodeLlama 13B Instruct?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB can run CodeLlama 13B Instruct with a A grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 30.3 tok/s.

How much VRAM does CodeLlama 13B Instruct need?

CodeLlama 13B Instruct (13B parameters) requires approximately 26.2 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for CodeLlama 13B Instruct?

The recommended quantization for CodeLlama 13B Instruct is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will CodeLlama 13B Instruct run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB, CodeLlama 13B Instruct achieves approximately 30.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 6397ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB run CodeLlama 13B Instruct for coding?

For coding workloads, CodeLlama 13B Instruct on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB receives a A grade with 30.3 tok/s and 16K context.

What context window can CodeLlama 13B Instruct use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB, CodeLlama 13B Instruct can safely use up to 16K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 16K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB See all hardware for CodeLlama 13B Instruct

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