Can Qwen 2.5 32B run on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB?

Q: Is unified memory on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 32B?

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.

YES — Runs Great

S86Excellent

Estimated from fit model

Qwen 2.5 32B needs ~31.2 GB VRAM. Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB has 46.1 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~24 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) — 31.2 GB, 24.3 tok/s, Runs well

31.2 GB required46.1 GB available

68% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

24.3 tok/s

TTFT

7953 ms

Safe context

77K

Memory

31.2 GB / 46.1 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights19.5 GB

KV Cache3.9 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom6.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsQwen 2.5 32B 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: 24.3 tok/s decode · 8.0s TTFT (warm) · 61 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	24.3 tok/s	4338 ms	77K
Coding	S	Runs well	24.3 tok/s	7953 ms	77K
Agentic Coding	S	Runs well	24.3 tok/s	11567 ms	77K
Reasoning	S	Runs well	24.3 tok/s	9399 ms	77K
RAG	S	Runs well	24.3 tok/s	14459 ms	77K

Quantization options

How Qwen 2.5 32B (32B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB (46.1 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	12.5 GB	Low	A78
Q3_K_S	3	15.7 GB	Low	A79
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Qwen 2.5 32B on your machine.

Run

ollama run qwen2.5

Your hardware

More models your Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen 3.6 35B A3B	35B	S	55.9 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB run Qwen 2.5 32B?

Yes, Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB can run Qwen 2.5 32B with a S grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 24.3 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Qwen 2.5 32B need?

Qwen 2.5 32B (32B parameters) requires approximately 31.2 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen 2.5 32B?

The recommended quantization for Qwen 2.5 32B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Qwen 2.5 32B run at on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB?

On Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB, Qwen 2.5 32B achieves approximately 24.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 7953ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB run Qwen 2.5 32B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 2.5 32B on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB receives a S grade with 24.3 tok/s and 77K context.

What context window can Qwen 2.5 32B use on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB?

On Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB, Qwen 2.5 32B can safely use up to 77K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 32B?

See all results for Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GB See all hardware for Qwen 2.5 32B

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