Is unified memory on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB as fast as VRAM for Nemotron Nano 9B v2?

Not always. Mac Studio M1 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 Nano 9B v2 run on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB?

YES — Runs Great

A78Great

Estimated from fit model

Nemotron Nano 9B v2 needs ~15.7 GB VRAM. Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB has 46.1 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~86 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) — 15.7 GB, 86.2 tok/s, Runs well

15.7 GB required46.1 GB available

34% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

86.2 tok/s

TTFT

2247 ms

Safe context

131K

Memory

15.7 GB / 46.1 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights5.5 GB

KV Cache2.4 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom6.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsNemotron Nano 9B v2 on Mac Studio M1 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: 86.2 tok/s decode · 2.2s TTFT (warm) · 215 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	A	Runs well	86.2 tok/s	1226 ms	131K
Coding	A	Runs well	86.2 tok/s	2247 ms	131K
Agentic Coding	A	Runs well	86.2 tok/s	3268 ms	131K
Reasoning	A	Runs well	86.2 tok/s	2656 ms	131K
RAG	A	Runs well	86.2 tok/s	4086 ms	131K

Quantization options

How Nemotron Nano 9B v2 (9B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB (46.1 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.5 GB	Low	A71
Q3_K_S	3	4.4 GB	Low	A71
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Nemotron Nano 9B v2 on your machine.

Run

ollama run nemotron-nano:9b-v2

Your hardware

More models your Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct	30.5B	S	66.5 tok/s
Qwen 3.5 27B	27B	S	28.9 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB run Nemotron Nano 9B v2?

Yes, Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB can run Nemotron Nano 9B v2 with a A grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 86.2 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Nemotron Nano 9B v2 need?

Nemotron Nano 9B v2 (9B parameters) requires approximately 15.7 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Nemotron Nano 9B v2?

The recommended quantization for Nemotron Nano 9B v2 is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Nemotron Nano 9B v2 run at on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB?

On Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB, Nemotron Nano 9B v2 achieves approximately 86.2 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 2247ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB run Nemotron Nano 9B v2 for coding?

For coding workloads, Nemotron Nano 9B v2 on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB receives a A grade with 86.2 tok/s and 131K context.

What context window can Nemotron Nano 9B v2 use on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB?

On Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB, Nemotron Nano 9B v2 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 M1 Ultra 64GB See all hardware for Nemotron Nano 9B v2

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