Is unified memory on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB as fast as VRAM for Codestral 22B v0.1 i1?

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 Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 run on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB?

YES — Runs Great

C44Usable

Estimated from fit model

Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 needs ~44.5 GB VRAM. Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB has 184.3 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~42 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) — 44.5 GB, 41.5 tok/s, Runs well

44.5 GB required184.3 GB available

24% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

41.5 tok/s

TTFT

4665 ms

Safe context

883K

Memory

44.5 GB / 184.3 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights13.4 GB

KV Cache2.6 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom27.6 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsCodestral 22B v0.1 i1 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: 41.5 tok/s decode · 4.7s TTFT (warm) · 104 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	41.5 tok/s	2545 ms	883K
Coding	C	Runs well	41.5 tok/s	4665 ms	883K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	41.5 tok/s	6786 ms	883K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	41.5 tok/s	5513 ms	883K
RAG	C	Runs well	41.5 tok/s	8482 ms	883K

Quantization options

How Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 (22B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB (184.3 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	8.6 GB	Low	D37
Q3_K_S	3	10.8 GB	Low	D37
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-mradermacher--codestral-22b-v0-1-i1-gguf && lms server start

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 well

AMD Instinct MI350X 288GBBudget pick

288 GB VRAM (+32)8000 GB/s (+7181)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 642%.308 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 642%.

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

~$8,000 MSRP

AMD Instinct MI300X 192GBBest value

5300 GB/s (+4481)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 642%.308 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 642%.

~$15,000 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB run Codestral 22B v0.1 i1?

Yes, Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB can run Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 41.5 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 need?

Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 (22B parameters) requires approximately 44.5 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Codestral 22B v0.1 i1?

The recommended quantization for Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 run at on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB?

On Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB, Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 achieves approximately 41.5 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 4665ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB run Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 for coding?

For coding workloads, Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB receives a C grade with 41.5 tok/s and 883K context.

What context window can Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 use on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB?

On Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB, Codestral 22B v0.1 i1 can safely use up to 883K 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 Codestral 22B v0.1 i1

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