Can StarCoder2 3B run on MacBook Air M1 16GB?

Q: Is unified memory on MacBook Air M1 16GB as fast as VRAM for StarCoder2 3B?

Not always. MacBook Air M1 16GB 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.

YES — Runs Great

C46Usable

Estimated from fit model

StarCoder2 3B needs ~4.8 GB VRAM. MacBook Air M1 16GB has 11.5 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~22 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) — 4.8 GB, 22.3 tok/s, Runs well

4.8 GB required11.5 GB available

42% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

22.3 tok/s

TTFT

8684 ms

Safe context

321K

Memory

4.8 GB / 11.5 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights1.8 GB

KV Cache0.4 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom1.7 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsStarCoder2 3B on MacBook Air M1 16GB
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: 22.3 tok/s decode · 8.7s TTFT (warm) · 56 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	22.3 tok/s	4736 ms	321K
Coding	C	Runs well	22.3 tok/s	8684 ms	321K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	22.3 tok/s	12631 ms	321K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	22.3 tok/s	10262 ms	321K
RAG	C	Runs well	22.3 tok/s	15788 ms	321K

Quantization options

How StarCoder2 3B (3B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Air M1 16GB (11.5 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	1.2 GB	Low	C47
Q3_K_S	3	1.5 GB	Low	C48
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run StarCoder2 3B on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-second-state--starcoder2-3b-gguf && lms server start

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs StarCoder2 3B well

MacBook Air M4 24GBBudget pick

24 GB Unified (+8)120 GB/s (+52)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 88%.42 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 88%.

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

~$1,099 MSRP

MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GBBest value

18 GB Unified (+2)150 GB/s (+82)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 88%.42 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 88%.

~$1,999 MSRP

MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GBApple upgrade

24 GB Unified (+8)273 GB/s (+205)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 88%.42 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 88%.

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

~$1,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Air M1 16GB run StarCoder2 3B?

Yes, MacBook Air M1 16GB can run StarCoder2 3B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 22.3 tok/s.

How much VRAM does StarCoder2 3B need?

StarCoder2 3B (3B parameters) requires approximately 4.8 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for StarCoder2 3B?

The recommended quantization for StarCoder2 3B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will StarCoder2 3B run at on MacBook Air M1 16GB?

On MacBook Air M1 16GB, StarCoder2 3B achieves approximately 22.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 8684ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Air M1 16GB run StarCoder2 3B for coding?

For coding workloads, StarCoder2 3B on MacBook Air M1 16GB receives a C grade with 22.3 tok/s and 321K context.

What context window can StarCoder2 3B use on MacBook Air M1 16GB?

On MacBook Air M1 16GB, StarCoder2 3B can safely use up to 321K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Air M1 16GB as fast as VRAM for StarCoder2 3B?

See all results for MacBook Air M1 16GB See all hardware for StarCoder2 3B

Embed this result▼

Paste this snippet into any page to show a live fit card.

<iframe src="https://willitrunai.com/embed/hf-second-state--starcoder2-3b-gguf-on-m1-16gb" width="400" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;" title="Will It Run AI — fit result"></iframe>

Preview: