Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB 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 Pro 18GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B feels slow on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB?

Move to a larger memory pool. A larger unified-memory SKU or a discrete high-bandwidth GPU is the cleanest way to make this model practical.

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run

Estimated from fit model

Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B needs ~26.3 GB but MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB only has 13.0 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: No fitBandwidth: Very lowStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory capacity

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) — 26.3 GB, exceeds 13.0 GB available

26.3 GB required13.0 GB available

202% VRAM needed

13.3 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

2.7 tok/s

TTFT

71012 ms

Safe context

Memory

26.3 GB / 13.0 GB

Offload

50%

Memory breakdown

Weights19.5 GB

KV Cache3.9 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom1.9 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower

See how fast it feelsQwen 2.5 Coder 32B on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB
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: 2.7 tok/s decode · 71.0s TTFT (warm) · 7 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable shared or unified memory is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 26.3 GB, but this setup only exposes 13.0 GB of usable shared or unified memory.

Best improvement path

Move to a larger memory pool

A larger unified-memory SKU or a discrete high-bandwidth GPU is the cleanest way to make this model practical.

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	F	Too heavy	2.8 tok/s	38212 ms	4K
Coding	F	Too heavy	2.5 tok/s	76694 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	2.7 tok/s	103291 ms	4K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	2.7 tok/s	83924 ms	4K
RAG	F	Too heavy	2.7 tok/s	129114 ms	4K

Quantization options

How Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B (32B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB (13.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	12.5 GB	Low	F0
Q3_K_S	3	15.7 GB	Low	F0
NVFP4	4

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B well

Mac mini M4 64GBBudget pick

64 GB Unified (+46)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.8.6 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

~$1,099 MSRP

MacBook Pro M4 Pro 64GBBest value

64 GB Unified (+46)273 GB/s (+123)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.20.9 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

~$1,599 MSRP

MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GBApple upgrade

36 GB Unified (+18)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.5.2 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Raises estimated decode speed by about 93%.

~$1,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB run Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B?

No, Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B requires more memory than MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB provides.

How much VRAM does Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B need?

Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B (32B parameters) requires approximately 26.3 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 Pro 18GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB, Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B achieves approximately 2.5 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 76694ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB run Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB receives a F grade with 2.5 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B use on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB, Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B feels slow on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB?

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB See all hardware for Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B

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