Can Gemma 4 26B A4B run on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

Q: Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB as fast as VRAM for Gemma 4 26B A4B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 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 — Tight Fit

S86Excellent

Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs

Gemma 4 26B A4B needs ~23.8 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB has 25.9 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~42 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: TightBandwidth: 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) — 23.8 GB, 41.9 tok/s, Tight fit

23.8 GB required25.9 GB available

92% VRAM used

Fit status

Tight fit

Decode

41.9 tok/s

TTFT

4616 ms

Safe context

25K

Memory

23.8 GB / 25.9 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights15.4 GB

KV Cache3.7 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom3.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGemma 4 26B A4B on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB
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: 41.9 tok/s decode · 4.6s TTFT (warm) · 105 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	S	Tight fit	41.9 tok/s	2518 ms	25K
Coding	S	Tight fit	41.9 tok/s	4616 ms	25K
Agentic Coding	A	Runs with offload (needs ~0.9 GB host RAM)	37.7 tok/s	7468 ms	25K
Reasoning	S	Tight fit	41.9 tok/s	5455 ms	25K
RAG	A	Runs with offload (needs ~0.9 GB host RAM)	37.7 tok/s	9334 ms

Quantization options

How Gemma 4 26B A4B (25.200000762939453B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB (25.9 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	9.8 GB	Low	A83
Q3_K_S	3	12.3 GB	Low	A85
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Gemma 4 26B A4B on your machine.

Run

ollama run gemma4:26b

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct	30.5B	S	39.1 tok/s
Qwen 3.5 27B	27B	S	28.8 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB run Gemma 4 26B A4B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB can run Gemma 4 26B A4B with a S grade (Tight fit). Expected decode speed: 41.9 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Gemma 4 26B A4B need?

Gemma 4 26B A4B (25.200000762939453B parameters) requires approximately 23.8 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Gemma 4 26B A4B?

The recommended quantization for Gemma 4 26B A4B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Gemma 4 26B A4B run at on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB, Gemma 4 26B A4B achieves approximately 41.9 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 4616ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB run Gemma 4 26B A4B for coding?

For coding workloads, Gemma 4 26B A4B on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB receives a S grade with 41.9 tok/s and 25K context.

What context window can Gemma 4 26B A4B use on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB, Gemma 4 26B A4B can safely use up to 25K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 256K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB as fast as VRAM for Gemma 4 26B A4B?

See all results for MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB See all hardware for Gemma 4 26B A4B

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