Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB 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 Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B run on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB?

YES — Runs Great

B61Good

Estimated from fit model

Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B needs ~6.1 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB has 25.9 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~21 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) — 6.1 GB, 21.0 tok/s, Runs well

6.1 GB required25.9 GB available

24% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

21.0 tok/s

TTFT

9219 ms

Safe context

33K

Memory

6.1 GB / 25.9 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights0.9 GB

KV Cache0.4 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom3.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsQwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB
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: 21.0 tok/s decode · 9.2s TTFT (warm) · 53 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	B	Runs well	21.0 tok/s	5029 ms	33K
Coding	B	Runs well	21.0 tok/s	9219 ms	33K
Agentic Coding	B	Runs well	21.0 tok/s	13410 ms	33K
Reasoning	B	Runs well	21.0 tok/s	10895 ms	33K
RAG	B	Runs well	21.0 tok/s	16762 ms	33K

Quantization options

How Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B (1.5B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB (25.9 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	0.6 GB	Low	B62
Q3_K_S	3	0.7 GB	Low	B62
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B on your machine.

Run

ollama run qwen2.5-coder:1.5b

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB run Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB can run Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B with a B grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 21.0 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B need?

Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B (1.5B parameters) requires approximately 6.1 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B?

The recommended quantization for Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B run at on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB, Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B achieves approximately 21.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 9219ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB run Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB receives a B grade with 21.0 tok/s and 33K context.

What context window can Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B use on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB, Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B can safely use up to 33K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 33K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GB See all hardware for Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B

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