Can Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B run on MacBook Pro M4 32GB?

Q: Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 32GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M4 32GB 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

B64Good

Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs

Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B needs ~15.8 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M4 32GB has 23.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~10 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) — 15.8 GB, 9.6 tok/s, Runs well

15.8 GB required23.0 GB available

69% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

9.6 tok/s

TTFT

20135 ms

Safe context

55K

Memory

15.8 GB / 23.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights8.5 GB

KV Cache2.9 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom3.5 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsQwen 2.5 Coder 14B on MacBook Pro M4 32GB
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: 9.6 tok/s decode · 20.1s TTFT (warm) · 24 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	9.6 tok/s	10983 ms	55K
Coding	B	Runs well	9.6 tok/s	20135 ms	55K
Agentic Coding	B	Runs well	9.6 tok/s	29287 ms	55K
Reasoning	B	Runs well	9.6 tok/s	23795 ms	55K
RAG	B	Runs well	9.6 tok/s	36608 ms	55K

Quantization options

How Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B (14B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 32GB (23.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	5.5 GB	Low	B60
Q3_K_S	3	6.9 GB	Low	B61
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B on your machine.

Run

ollama run qwen2.5-coder:14b

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B well

MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GBBudget pick

36 GB Unified (+4)410 GB/s (+290)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 241%.32.7 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 241%.

~$2,499 MSRP

MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GBBest value

48 GB Unified (+16)546 GB/s (+426)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 299%.38.3 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 299%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

~$2,499 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M4 32GB run Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M4 32GB can run Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B with a B grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 9.6 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B need?

Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B (14B parameters) requires approximately 15.8 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B?

The recommended quantization for Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B run at on MacBook Pro M4 32GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 32GB, Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B achieves approximately 9.6 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 20135ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M4 32GB run Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B on MacBook Pro M4 32GB receives a B grade with 9.6 tok/s and 55K context.

What context window can Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B use on MacBook Pro M4 32GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 32GB, Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B can safely use up to 55K 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 32GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B?

See all results for MacBook Pro M4 32GB See all hardware for Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B

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<iframe src="https://willitrunai.com/embed/qwen-2.5-coder-14b-on-m4-32gb" 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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