Is unified memory on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB as fast as VRAM for Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1?

Not always. Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB 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 Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 run on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB?

YES — Runs Great

C45Usable

Estimated from fit model

Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 needs ~33.6 GB VRAM. Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB has 184.3 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~98 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: HighStack: 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) — 33.6 GB, 98.0 tok/s, Runs well

33.6 GB required184.3 GB available

18% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

98.0 tok/s

TTFT

1976 ms

Safe context

3.0M

Memory

33.6 GB / 184.3 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights4.3 GB

KV Cache0.8 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom27.6 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsMamba Codestral 7B v0.1 on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB
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: 98.0 tok/s decode · 2.0s TTFT (warm) · 245 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	98.0 tok/s	1078 ms	3.0M
Coding	C	Runs well	98.0 tok/s	1976 ms	3.0M
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	98.0 tok/s	2873 ms	3.0M
Reasoning	C	Runs well	98.0 tok/s	2335 ms	3.0M
RAG	C	Runs well	98.0 tok/s	3592 ms	3.0M

Quantization options

How Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 (7B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB (184.3 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	2.7 GB	Low	D37
Q3_K_S	3	3.4 GB	Low	D37
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-gabriellarson--mamba-codestral-7b-v0-1-gguf && lms server start

Frequently asked questions

Can Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB run Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1?

Yes, Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB can run Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 98.0 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 need?

Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 (7B parameters) requires approximately 33.6 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1?

The recommended quantization for Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 run at on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB?

On Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB, Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 achieves approximately 98.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 1976ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB run Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 for coding?

For coding workloads, Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB receives a C grade with 98.0 tok/s and 3.0M context.

What context window can Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 use on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB?

On Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB, Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1 can safely use up to 3.0M tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB See all hardware for Mamba Codestral 7B v0.1

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