Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB as fast as VRAM for Codestral 2 25.08?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB 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 Codestral 2 25.08 run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

YES — Runs Great

A78Great

Estimated from fit model

Codestral 2 25.08 needs ~30.6 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB has 92.2 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~17 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) — 30.6 GB, 18.1 tok/s, Runs well

30.6 GB required92.2 GB available

33% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

18.1 tok/s

TTFT

10713 ms

Safe context

256K

Memory

30.6 GB / 92.2 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights13.4 GB

KV Cache2.4 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom13.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsCodestral 2 25.08 on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB
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: 18.1 tok/s decode · 10.7s TTFT (warm) · 45 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	18.1 tok/s	5843 ms	256K
Coding	A	Runs well	16.8 tok/s	11516 ms	256K
Agentic Coding	A	Runs well	18.1 tok/s	15583 ms	256K
Reasoning	A	Runs well	18.1 tok/s	12661 ms	256K
RAG	A	Runs well	18.1 tok/s	19478 ms	256K

Quantization options

How Codestral 2 25.08 (22B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB (92.2 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	8.6 GB	Low	A74
Q3_K_S	3	10.8 GB	Low	A74
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Codestral 2 25.08 on your machine.

Run

lms load codestral-2508 && lms server start

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Devstral 2 123B Instruct	123B	S	3.3 tok/s
Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct	30.5B	S

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB run Codestral 2 25.08?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can run Codestral 2 25.08 with a A grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 16.8 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Codestral 2 25.08 need?

Codestral 2 25.08 (22B parameters) requires approximately 30.6 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Codestral 2 25.08?

The recommended quantization for Codestral 2 25.08 is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Codestral 2 25.08 run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB, Codestral 2 25.08 achieves approximately 16.8 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 11516ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB run Codestral 2 25.08 for coding?

For coding workloads, Codestral 2 25.08 on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB receives a A grade with 16.8 tok/s and 256K context.

What context window can Codestral 2 25.08 use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB, Codestral 2 25.08 can safely use up to 256K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 256K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB See all hardware for Codestral 2 25.08

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