Can Qwen 2.5 32B run on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB?

Q: Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 32B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 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 — Tight Fit

A81Great

Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs

Qwen 2.5 32B needs ~29.5 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB has 34.6 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~11 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: TightBandwidth: LowStack: 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) — 29.5 GB, 20.9 tok/s, Tight fit

29.5 GB required34.6 GB available

85% VRAM used

Fit status

Tight fit

Decode

20.9 tok/s

TTFT

9248 ms

Safe context

37K

Memory

29.5 GB / 34.6 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights19.5 GB

KV Cache3.9 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom5.2 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsQwen 2.5 32B on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB
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: 20.9 tok/s decode · 9.2s TTFT (warm) · 52 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	20.9 tok/s	5044 ms	37K
Coding	A	Tight fit	10.8 tok/s	17978 ms	37K
Agentic Coding	A	Runs with offload	20.9 tok/s	13451 ms	37K
Reasoning	A	Tight fit	20.9 tok/s	10929 ms	37K
RAG	A	Runs with offload	20.9 tok/s	16814 ms	37K

Quantization options

How Qwen 2.5 32B (32B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB (34.6 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	12.5 GB	Low	A80
Q3_K_S	3	15.7 GB	Low	A82
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 MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen 3.6 35B A3B	35B	S	29.4 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB run Qwen 2.5 32B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB can run Qwen 2.5 32B with a A grade (Tight fit). Expected decode speed: 10.8 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Qwen 2.5 32B need?

Qwen 2.5 32B (32B parameters) requires approximately 29.5 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 MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB, Qwen 2.5 32B achieves approximately 10.8 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 17978ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB run Qwen 2.5 32B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 2.5 32B on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB receives a A grade with 10.8 tok/s and 37K context.

What context window can Qwen 2.5 32B use on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB, Qwen 2.5 32B can safely use up to 37K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 32B?

See all results for MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB See all hardware for Qwen 2.5 32B

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<iframe src="https://willitrunai.com/embed/qwen-2.5-32b-on-m4-pro-48gb" width="400" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;" title="Will It Run AI — fit result"></iframe>

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