Can Gemma 3 4B run on MacBook Air M2 16GB?

Q: Is unified memory on MacBook Air M2 16GB as fast as VRAM for Gemma 3 4B?

Not always. MacBook Air M2 16GB 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.

YES — Runs Great

A73Great

Estimated from fit model

Gemma 3 4B needs ~7.4 GB VRAM. MacBook Air M2 16GB has 11.5 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~27 tok/s.

Runtime: OllamaCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: Very lowStack: BasicBottleneck: Memory bandwidth

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) — 7.4 GB, 28.0 tok/s, Runs well

7.4 GB required11.5 GB available

64% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

28.0 tok/s

TTFT

6921 ms

Safe context

47K

Memory

7.4 GB / 11.5 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights2.4 GB

KV Cache2.1 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom1.7 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGemma 3 4B on MacBook Air M2 16GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step.

Given information:
  - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour)
  - Time  = 2.5 hours

Formula: Distance = Speed x Time

Calculation:
  Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h
           = 150 miles

The train travels 150 miles.

Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time.

Breakdown:
  - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles
  - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance)
  - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles

Total distance: 150 miles (same)
Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours
Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph

The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 28.0 tok/s decode · 6.9s TTFT (warm) · 70 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	28.0 tok/s	3775 ms	47K
Coding	A	Runs well	26.6 tok/s	7267 ms	47K
Agentic Coding	A	Tight fit	28.0 tok/s	10067 ms	47K
Reasoning	A	Runs well	28.0 tok/s	8180 ms	47K
RAG	A	Tight fit	28.0 tok/s	12584 ms	47K

Quantization options

How Gemma 3 4B (4B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Air M2 16GB (11.5 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	1.6 GB	Low	B69
Q3_K_S	3	2.0 GB	Low	B70
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Gemma 3 4B on your machine.

Run

ollama run gemma3:4b

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Air M2 16GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen 3.5 9B	9B	S	12.7 tok/s
Qwen 3 8B	8B	S	14.3 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Air M2 16GB run Gemma 3 4B?

Yes, MacBook Air M2 16GB can run Gemma 3 4B with a A grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 26.6 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Gemma 3 4B need?

Gemma 3 4B (4B parameters) requires approximately 7.4 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Gemma 3 4B?

The recommended quantization for Gemma 3 4B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Gemma 3 4B run at on MacBook Air M2 16GB?

On MacBook Air M2 16GB, Gemma 3 4B achieves approximately 26.6 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 7267ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Air M2 16GB run Gemma 3 4B for coding?

For coding workloads, Gemma 3 4B on MacBook Air M2 16GB receives a A grade with 26.6 tok/s and 47K context.

What context window can Gemma 3 4B use on MacBook Air M2 16GB?

On MacBook Air M2 16GB, Gemma 3 4B can safely use up to 47K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Air M2 16GB as fast as VRAM for Gemma 3 4B?

See all results for MacBook Air M2 16GB See all hardware for Gemma 3 4B

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