MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GBGünstige Wahl
18 GB Unified (+2)150 GB/s (+82)
C
Raises estimated decode speed by about 169%.19.9 tok/s Dekodierung
Raises estimated decode speed by about 169%.
ca. $1,999 MSRP
Can Yi 9B Coder i1 run on MacBook Air M1 16GB?
YES — Runs Great
C49Usable
Estimated from fit model
Yi 9B Coder i1 needs ~9.2 GB VRAM. MacBook Air M1 16GB has 11.5 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~7 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.
Select quantization to explore
Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 9.2 GB, 7.4 tok/s, Runs well
9.2 GB required11.5 GB available
80% VRAM used
Fit status
Runs well
Decode
7.4 tok/s
TTFT
26051 ms
Safe context
52K
Memory
9.2 GB / 11.5 GB
Memory breakdown
Weights5.5 GB
KV Cache1.1 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom1.7 GB
See how fast it feels
See how fast it feelsYi 9B Coder i1 on MacBook Air M1 16GB
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: 7.4 tok/s decode · 26.1s TTFT (warm) · 19 tok/s prefill
What limits this setup
The model fits in shared memory, but shared-memory bandwidth is now the real limiter.
Fit does not mean dedicated-VRAM speed
Unified or shared memory can make a model technically fit, but sustained tokens per second may still trail a discrete high-bandwidth GPU with less total memory.
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
Prioritize bandwidth, not only capacity
If this workload feels slow, the next useful step is often a GPU tier with materially faster memory bandwidth rather than only a small bump in capacity.
Performance by workload
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | C | Runs well | 7.4 tok/s | 14209 ms | 52K |
| Coding | C | Runs well | 7.4 tok/s | 26051 ms | 52K |
| Agentic Coding | C | Tight fit | 7.4 tok/s | 37892 ms | 52K |
| Reasoning | C | Runs well | 7.4 tok/s | 30787 ms | 52K |
| RAG | C | Tight fit | 7.4 tok/s | 47365 ms | 52K |
Quantization options
How Yi 9B Coder i1 (9B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Air M1 16GB (11.5 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 3.5 GB | Low | C50 |
Q3_K_S | 3 | 4.4 GB | Low | C51 |
NVFP4 | 4 | 5.0 GB | Medium | C52 |
Q4_K_M | 4 | 5.5 GB | Medium | C52 |
Q5_K_M | 5 | 6.5 GB | High | C52 |
Q6_KBest for your GPU | 6 | 7.4 GB | High | C52 |
Q8_0 | 8 | 9.6 GB | Very High | F0 |
F16 | 16 | 18.5 GB | Maximum | F0 |
Get started
Copy-paste commands to run Yi 9B Coder i1 on your machine.
Run
lms load hf-mradermacher--yi-9b-coder-i1-gguf && lms server startUpgrade-Optionen
Hardware, die Yi 9B Coder i1 gut ausführt
MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GBBestes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis
24 GB Unified (+8)273 GB/s (+205)
C
Raises estimated decode speed by about 376%.35.2 tok/s Dekodierung
Raises estimated decode speed by about 376%.
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
ca. $1,999 MSRP
MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GBApple-Upgrade
32 GB Unified (+16)400 GB/s (+332)
C
Raises estimated decode speed by about 472%.42.3 tok/s Dekodierung
Raises estimated decode speed by about 472%.
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
ca. $1,999 MSRP
Frequently asked questions
Can MacBook Air M1 16GB run Yi 9B Coder i1?
Yes, MacBook Air M1 16GB can run Yi 9B Coder i1 with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 7.4 tok/s.
How much VRAM does Yi 9B Coder i1 need?
Yi 9B Coder i1 (9B parameters) requires approximately 9.2 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.
What is the best quantization for Yi 9B Coder i1?
The recommended quantization for Yi 9B Coder i1 is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.
What speed will Yi 9B Coder i1 run at on MacBook Air M1 16GB?
On MacBook Air M1 16GB, Yi 9B Coder i1 achieves approximately 7.4 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 26051ms using Q4_K_M quantization.
Can MacBook Air M1 16GB run Yi 9B Coder i1 for coding?
For coding workloads, Yi 9B Coder i1 on MacBook Air M1 16GB receives a C grade with 7.4 tok/s and 52K context.
What context window can Yi 9B Coder i1 use on MacBook Air M1 16GB?
On MacBook Air M1 16GB, Yi 9B Coder i1 can safely use up to 52K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.
What should I upgrade first if Yi 9B Coder i1 feels slow on MacBook Air M1 16GB?
Prioritize bandwidth, not only capacity. If this workload feels slow, the next useful step is often a GPU tier with materially faster memory bandwidth rather than only a small bump in capacity.
Is unified memory on MacBook Air M1 16GB as fast as VRAM for Yi 9B Coder i1?
Not always. MacBook Air M1 16GB 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.
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