Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB as fast as VRAM for NousResearch Hermes 4 14B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB 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 NousResearch Hermes 4 14B run on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB?

YES — Runs Great

C51Usable

Estimated from fit model

NousResearch Hermes 4 14B needs ~14.5 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB has 23.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~27 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) — 14.5 GB, 27.2 tok/s, Runs well

14.5 GB required23.0 GB available

63% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

27.2 tok/s

TTFT

7126 ms

Safe context

99K

Memory

14.5 GB / 23.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights8.5 GB

KV Cache1.6 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom3.5 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsNousResearch Hermes 4 14B on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>What is local AI inference?
Local AI inference means running an AI language model directly on your own hardware — your laptop, desktop, or server — instead of sending requests to a remote cloud API.

When you run inference locally the model weights are loaded into your GPU or unified memory. Each token you generate requires reading those weights from memory, so memory bandwidth is the main bottleneck for decode speed.

Key benefits of running locally:
  - Full privacy: your prompts never leave your machine
  - No per-token cost or rate limits
  - Works offline once the model is downloaded
  - Latency depends only on your hardware
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>How much VRAM do I need?
It depends on the model size and quantization level. A rough rule of thumb:

  Model size     Q4 (4-bit)    Q8 (8-bit)    FP16
  7B params      ~4.3 GB       ~7.5 GB       ~14 GB
  13B params     ~7.9 GB       ~13.9 GB      ~26 GB
  70B params     ~42.7 GB      ~74.9 GB      ~140 GB

Most people use 4-bit quantization (Q4_K_M) which gives 90-95% of full quality at a fraction of the memory. A 24 GB GPU can comfortably run most 7B-13B models.
Estimated: 27.2 tok/s decode · 7.1s TTFT (warm) · 68 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	C	Runs well	27.2 tok/s	3887 ms	99K
Coding	C	Runs well	27.2 tok/s	7126 ms	99K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	27.2 tok/s	10366 ms	99K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	27.2 tok/s	8422 ms	99K
RAG	C	Runs well	27.2 tok/s	12957 ms	99K

Quantization options

How NousResearch Hermes 4 14B (14B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB (23.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	5.5 GB	Low	C46
Q3_K_S	3	6.9 GB	Low	C47
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run NousResearch Hermes 4 14B on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-bartowski--nousresearch-hermes-4-14b-gguf && lms server start

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs NousResearch Hermes 4 14B well

RX 7900 XTX 24GBBudget pick

960 GB/s (+560)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 197%.80.9 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 197%.

~$999 MSRP

RTX 3090 24GBBest value

936 GB/s (+536)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 176%.75.2 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 176%.

~$1,499 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB run NousResearch Hermes 4 14B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB can run NousResearch Hermes 4 14B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 27.2 tok/s.

How much VRAM does NousResearch Hermes 4 14B need?

NousResearch Hermes 4 14B (14B parameters) requires approximately 14.5 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for NousResearch Hermes 4 14B?

The recommended quantization for NousResearch Hermes 4 14B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will NousResearch Hermes 4 14B run at on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB?

On MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB, NousResearch Hermes 4 14B achieves approximately 27.2 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 7126ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB run NousResearch Hermes 4 14B for coding?

For coding workloads, NousResearch Hermes 4 14B on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB receives a C grade with 27.2 tok/s and 99K context.

What context window can NousResearch Hermes 4 14B use on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB?

On MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB, NousResearch Hermes 4 14B can safely use up to 99K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB See all hardware for NousResearch Hermes 4 14B

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