Is unified memory on Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB as fast as VRAM for Nemotron 3 Nano 30B?

Not always. Mac Studio M2 Ultra 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 Nemotron 3 Nano 30B run on Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB?

YES — Runs Great

S91Excellent

Estimated from fit model

Nemotron 3 Nano 30B needs ~28.6 GB VRAM. Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB has 46.1 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~27 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) — 28.6 GB, 27.3 tok/s, Runs well

28.6 GB required46.1 GB available

62% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

27.3 tok/s

TTFT

7103 ms

Safe context

131K

Memory

28.6 GB / 46.1 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights18.3 GB

KV Cache2.4 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom6.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsNemotron 3 Nano 30B on Mac Studio M2 Ultra 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: 27.3 tok/s decode · 7.1s TTFT (warm) · 68 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	S	Runs well	27.3 tok/s	3874 ms	131K
Coding	S	Runs well	27.3 tok/s	7103 ms	131K
Agentic Coding	S	Runs well	27.3 tok/s	10331 ms	131K
Reasoning	S	Runs well	27.3 tok/s	8394 ms	131K
RAG	S	Runs well	27.3 tok/s	12914 ms	131K

Quantization options

How Nemotron 3 Nano 30B (30B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB (46.1 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	11.7 GB	Low	A84
Q3_K_S	3	14.7 GB	Low	A85
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Nemotron 3 Nano 30B on your machine.

Run

ollama run nemotron-nano:30b

Your hardware

More models your Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct	30.5B	S	70.2 tok/s
Qwen 3.6 35B A3B	35B	S	59 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB run Nemotron 3 Nano 30B?

Yes, Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB can run Nemotron 3 Nano 30B with a S grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 27.3 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Nemotron 3 Nano 30B need?

Nemotron 3 Nano 30B (30B parameters) requires approximately 28.6 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Nemotron 3 Nano 30B?

The recommended quantization for Nemotron 3 Nano 30B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Nemotron 3 Nano 30B run at on Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB?

On Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB, Nemotron 3 Nano 30B achieves approximately 27.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 7103ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB run Nemotron 3 Nano 30B for coding?

For coding workloads, Nemotron 3 Nano 30B on Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB receives a S grade with 27.3 tok/s and 131K context.

What context window can Nemotron 3 Nano 30B use on Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB?

On Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB, Nemotron 3 Nano 30B can safely use up to 131K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GB See all hardware for Nemotron 3 Nano 30B

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