Can Qwen 3 30B A3B run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

Q: Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 3 30B A3B?

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.

YES — Runs Great

S95Excellent

Estimated from fit model

Qwen 3 30B A3B needs ~26.1 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB has 34.6 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~47 tok/s.

Runtime: MLXCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: LowStack: OptimizedBottleneck: 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) — 26.1 GB, 47.2 tok/s, Runs well

26.1 GB required34.6 GB available

75% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

47.2 tok/s

TTFT

4104 ms

Safe context

109K

Memory

26.1 GB / 34.6 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights18.6 GB

KV Cache1.5 GB

Runtime0.8 GB

Headroom5.2 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsQwen 3 30B A3B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step.

Given information:
  - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour)
  - Time  = 2.5 hours

Formula: Distance = Speed x Time

Calculation:
  Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h
           = 150 miles

The train travels 150 miles.

Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time.

Breakdown:
  - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles
  - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance)
  - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles

Total distance: 150 miles (same)
Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours
Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph

The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 47.2 tok/s decode · 4.1s TTFT (warm) · 118 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	47.2 tok/s	2238 ms	109K
Coding	S	Runs well	47.2 tok/s	4104 ms	109K
Agentic Coding	S	Runs well	47.2 tok/s	5969 ms	109K
Reasoning	S	Runs well	47.2 tok/s	4850 ms	109K
RAG	S	Runs well	47.2 tok/s	7461 ms	109K

Quantization options

How Qwen 3 30B A3B (30.5B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB (34.6 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	11.9 GB	Low	S87
Q3_K_S	3	14.9 GB	Low	S88
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Qwen 3 30B A3B on your machine.

Run

ollama run qwen3:30b-a3b

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen 3.6 35B A3B	35B	S	43.6 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB run Qwen 3 30B A3B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB can run Qwen 3 30B A3B with a S grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 47.2 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Qwen 3 30B A3B need?

Qwen 3 30B A3B (30.5B parameters) requires approximately 26.1 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen 3 30B A3B?

The recommended quantization for Qwen 3 30B A3B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Qwen 3 30B A3B run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB, Qwen 3 30B A3B achieves approximately 47.2 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 4104ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB run Qwen 3 30B A3B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 3 30B A3B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB receives a S grade with 47.2 tok/s and 109K context.

What context window can Qwen 3 30B A3B use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB, Qwen 3 30B A3B can safely use up to 109K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 3 30B A3B?

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB See all hardware for Qwen 3 30B A3B

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