Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Max 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.

Can Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

YES — Tight Fit

A75Great

Estimated from fit model

Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B needs ~29.5 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB has 34.6 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~13 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, 13.3 tok/s, Tight fit

29.5 GB required34.6 GB available

85% VRAM used

Fit status

Tight fit

Decode

13.3 tok/s

TTFT

14580 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 Coder 32B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 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: 13.3 tok/s decode · 14.6s TTFT (warm) · 33 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	13.3 tok/s	7953 ms	37K
Coding	A	Tight fit	13.3 tok/s	14580 ms	37K
Agentic Coding	A	Runs with offload	13.3 tok/s	21207 ms	37K
Reasoning	A	Tight fit	13.3 tok/s	17231 ms	37K
RAG	A	Runs with offload	13.3 tok/s	26509 ms	37K

Quantization options

How Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B (32B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB (34.6 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	12.5 GB	Low	A74
Q3_K_S	3	15.7 GB	Low	A76
NVFP4	4

Get started

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

Run

ollama run qwen2.5-coder

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen 3.6 35B A3B	35B	S	33.5 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB run Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB can run Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B with a A grade (Tight fit). Expected decode speed: 13.3 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B need?

Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B (32B parameters) requires approximately 29.5 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B?

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

What speed will Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB, Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B achieves approximately 13.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 14580ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB run Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB receives a A grade with 13.3 tok/s and 37K context.

What context window can Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB, Qwen 2.5 Coder 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.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB See all hardware for Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B

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