Is unified memory on Mac mini M4 64GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct?

Not always. Mac mini M4 64GB 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 Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct run on Mac mini M4 64GB?

YES — Runs Great

S91Excellent

Estimated from fit model

Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct needs ~27.9 GB VRAM. Mac mini M4 64GB has 46.1 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~12 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) — 27.9 GB, 13.1 tok/s, Runs well

27.9 GB required46.1 GB available

61% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

13.1 tok/s

TTFT

14819 ms

Safe context

215K

Memory

27.9 GB / 46.1 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights18.6 GB

KV Cache1.5 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom6.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsQwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct on Mac mini M4 64GB
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: 13.1 tok/s decode · 14.8s 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	S	Runs well	13.1 tok/s	8083 ms	215K
Coding	S	Runs well	12.0 tok/s	16115 ms	215K
Agentic Coding	S	Runs well	13.1 tok/s	21554 ms	215K
Reasoning	S	Runs well	13.1 tok/s	17513 ms	215K
RAG	S	Runs well	13.1 tok/s	26943 ms	215K

Quantization options

How Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct (30.5B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac mini M4 64GB (46.1 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 Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct on your machine.

Run

ollama run qwen3-coder

Frequently asked questions

Can Mac mini M4 64GB run Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct?

Yes, Mac mini M4 64GB can run Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct with a S grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 12.0 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct need?

Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct (30.5B parameters) requires approximately 27.9 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct?

The recommended quantization for Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct run at on Mac mini M4 64GB?

On Mac mini M4 64GB, Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct achieves approximately 12.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 16115ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Mac mini M4 64GB run Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct on Mac mini M4 64GB receives a S grade with 12.0 tok/s and 215K context.

What context window can Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct use on Mac mini M4 64GB?

On Mac mini M4 64GB, Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct can safely use up to 215K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 256K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for Mac mini M4 64GB See all hardware for Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct

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