Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB as fast as VRAM for Codestral 21B Pruned i1?

Not always. MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB 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 M4 Pro 64GB?

YES — Runs Great

C48Usable

Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs

Codestral 21B Pruned i1 needs ~23.1 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB has 46.1 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~22 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) — 23.1 GB, 22.2 tok/s, Runs well

23.1 GB required46.1 GB available

50% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

22.2 tok/s

TTFT

8739 ms

Safe context

166K

Memory

23.1 GB / 46.1 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights12.8 GB

KV Cache2.5 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom6.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsCodestral 21B Pruned i1 on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB
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: 22.2 tok/s decode · 8.7s TTFT (warm) · 55 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	22.2 tok/s	4767 ms	166K
Coding	C	Runs well	22.2 tok/s	8739 ms	166K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	22.2 tok/s	12711 ms	166K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	22.2 tok/s	10328 ms	166K
RAG	C	Runs well	22.2 tok/s	15889 ms	166K

Quantization options

How Codestral 21B Pruned i1 (21B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB (46.1 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	8.2 GB	Low	C42
Q3_K_S	3	10.3 GB	Low	C43
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

Radeon Pro W7900 48GBBudget pick

864 GB/s (+591)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 79%.39.8 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 79%.

~$3,999 MSRP

Radeon PRO W7900 DS 48GBBest value

864 GB/s (+591)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 79%.39.8 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 79%.

~$3,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB run Codestral 21B Pruned i1?

Yes, MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB can run Codestral 21B Pruned i1 with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 22.2 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Codestral 21B Pruned i1 need?

Codestral 21B Pruned i1 (21B parameters) requires approximately 23.1 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 M4 Pro 64GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB, Codestral 21B Pruned i1 achieves approximately 22.2 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 8739ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB run Codestral 21B Pruned i1 for coding?

For coding workloads, Codestral 21B Pruned i1 on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB receives a C grade with 22.2 tok/s and 166K context.

What context window can Codestral 21B Pruned i1 use on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB, Codestral 21B Pruned i1 can safely use up to 166K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GB See all hardware for Codestral 21B Pruned i1

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