Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB as fast as VRAM for Codestral 21B Pruned i1?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Pro 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.

Can Codestral 21B Pruned i1 run on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB?

YES — Runs Great

C49Usable

Estimated from fit model

Codestral 21B Pruned i1 needs ~20.1 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB has 25.9 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~9 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: Very lowStack: StandardBottleneck: 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) — 20.1 GB, 8.5 tok/s, Runs well

20.1 GB required25.9 GB available

78% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

8.5 tok/s

TTFT

22649 ms

Safe context

54K

Memory

20.1 GB / 25.9 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights12.8 GB

KV Cache2.5 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom3.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsCodestral 21B Pruned i1 on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 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: 8.5 tok/s decode · 22.6s TTFT (warm) · 21 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	8.5 tok/s	12354 ms	54K
Coding	C	Runs well	8.5 tok/s	22649 ms	54K
Agentic Coding	C	Tight fit	8.5 tok/s	32943 ms	54K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	8.5 tok/s	26766 ms	54K
RAG	C	Tight fit	8.5 tok/s	41179 ms	54K

Quantization options

How Codestral 21B Pruned i1 (21B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB (25.9 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	8.2 GB	Low	C46
Q3_K_S	3	10.3 GB	Low	C48
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Codestral 21B Pruned i1 on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-mradermacher--codestral-21b-pruned-i1-gguf && lms server start

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Codestral 21B Pruned i1 well

MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GBBudget pick

48 GB Unified (+12)546 GB/s (+396)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 314%.35.2 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 314%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

~$2,499 MSRP

MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GBBest value

48 GB Unified (+12)400 GB/s (+250)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 120%.18.7 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 120%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

~$2,499 MSRP

MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GBApple upgrade

48 GB Unified (+12)273 GB/s (+123)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 161%.22.2 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 161%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

~$2,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB run Codestral 21B Pruned i1?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB can run Codestral 21B Pruned i1 with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 8.5 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Codestral 21B Pruned i1 need?

Codestral 21B Pruned i1 (21B parameters) requires approximately 20.1 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Codestral 21B Pruned i1?

The recommended quantization for Codestral 21B Pruned i1 is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Codestral 21B Pruned i1 run at on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB, Codestral 21B Pruned i1 achieves approximately 8.5 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 22649ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB run Codestral 21B Pruned i1 for coding?

For coding workloads, Codestral 21B Pruned i1 on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB receives a C grade with 8.5 tok/s and 54K context.

What context window can Codestral 21B Pruned i1 use on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB, Codestral 21B Pruned i1 can safely use up to 54K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB See all hardware for Codestral 21B Pruned i1

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