Can Granite 3.1 8B run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

YES — Runs Great

C53Usable

Estimated from fit model

Granite 3.1 8B needs ~12.9 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB has 34.6 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~61 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) — 12.9 GB, 60.8 tok/s, Runs well

12.9 GB required34.6 GB available

37% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

60.8 tok/s

TTFT

3184 ms

Safe context

128K

Memory

12.9 GB / 34.6 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights4.9 GB

KV Cache2.0 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom5.2 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGranite 3.1 8B 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: 60.8 tok/s decode · 3.2s TTFT (warm) · 152 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	C	Runs well	60.8 tok/s	1737 ms	128K
Coding	C	Runs well	60.8 tok/s	3184 ms	128K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	60.8 tok/s	4632 ms	128K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	60.8 tok/s	3763 ms	128K
RAG	C	Runs well	60.8 tok/s	5790 ms	128K

Quantization options

How Granite 3.1 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB (34.6 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.1 GB	Low	C47
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	C48
NVFP4	4	4.5 GB	Medium	C48
Q4_K_M	4	4.9 GB	Medium	C48
Q5_K_M	5	5.8 GB	High	C48
Q6_K	6	6.6 GB	High	C48
Q8_0	8	8.6 GB	Very High	C49
F16Best for your GPU	16	16.4 GB	Maximum	C53

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Granite 3.1 8B on your machine.

Run

ollama run granite3.1-dense

Upgrade-Optionen

Hardware, die Granite 3.1 8B gut ausführt

Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GBGünstige Wahl

64 GB Unified (+16)800 GB/s (+400)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 84%.112 tok/s Dekodierung

Raises estimated decode speed by about 84%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

ca. $3,999 MSRP

Mac Studio M1 Ultra 64GBBestes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis

64 GB Unified (+16)800 GB/s (+400)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 83%.111.5 tok/s Dekodierung

Raises estimated decode speed by about 83%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

ca. $3,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB run Granite 3.1 8B?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB can run Granite 3.1 8B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 60.8 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Granite 3.1 8B need?

Granite 3.1 8B (8B parameters) requires approximately 12.9 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Granite 3.1 8B?

The recommended quantization for Granite 3.1 8B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Granite 3.1 8B run at on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB, Granite 3.1 8B achieves approximately 60.8 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 3184ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB run Granite 3.1 8B for coding?

For coding workloads, Granite 3.1 8B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB receives a C grade with 60.8 tok/s and 128K context.

What context window can Granite 3.1 8B use on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

On MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB, Granite 3.1 8B can safely use up to 128K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB as fast as VRAM for Granite 3.1 8B?

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.

See all results for MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB See all hardware for Granite 3.1 8B

Embed this result▼

Paste this snippet into any page to show a live fit card.

<iframe src="https://willitrunai.com/embed/granite-3.1-8b-on-m3-max-48gb" width="400" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;" title="Will It Run AI — fit result"></iframe>

Preview: