Can Qwen 3.5 9B run on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

Q: Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 3.5 9B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 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

S92Excellent

Estimated from fit model

Qwen 3.5 9B needs ~12.5 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB has 25.9 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~55 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: 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) — 12.5 GB, 55.1 tok/s, Runs well

12.5 GB required25.9 GB available

48% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

55.1 tok/s

TTFT

3512 ms

Safe context

114K

Memory

12.5 GB / 25.9 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights5.5 GB

KV Cache2.2 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom3.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsQwen 3.5 9B on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB
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: 55.1 tok/s decode · 3.5s TTFT (warm) · 138 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	55.1 tok/s	1915 ms	114K
Coding	S	Runs well	55.1 tok/s	3512 ms	114K
Agentic Coding	S	Runs well	55.1 tok/s	5108 ms	114K
Reasoning	S	Runs well	55.1 tok/s	4150 ms	114K
RAG	S	Runs well	55.1 tok/s	6385 ms	114K

Quantization options

How Qwen 3.5 9B (9B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB (25.9 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.5 GB	Low	S86
Q3_K_S	3	4.4 GB	Low	S86
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Qwen 3.5 9B on your machine.

Run

ollama run qwen3.5:9b

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct	30.5B	S	39.1 tok/s
Qwen 3.5 27B	27B	S	28.8 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB run Qwen 3.5 9B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB can run Qwen 3.5 9B with a S grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 55.1 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Qwen 3.5 9B need?

Qwen 3.5 9B (9B parameters) requires approximately 12.5 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen 3.5 9B?

The recommended quantization for Qwen 3.5 9B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Qwen 3.5 9B run at on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB, Qwen 3.5 9B achieves approximately 55.1 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 3512ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB run Qwen 3.5 9B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 3.5 9B on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB receives a S grade with 55.1 tok/s and 114K context.

What context window can Qwen 3.5 9B use on MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB, Qwen 3.5 9B can safely use up to 114K 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 Max 36GB as fast as VRAM for Qwen 3.5 9B?

See all results for MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB See all hardware for Qwen 3.5 9B

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<iframe src="https://willitrunai.com/embed/qwen-3.5-9b-on-m4-max-36gb" 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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