Can GPT-OSS 120B run on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB?

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run

Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs

GPT-OSS 120B needs ~79.7 GB but MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB only has 17.3 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: No fitBandwidth: LowStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory capacity

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) — 79.7 GB, exceeds 17.3 GB available

79.7 GB required17.3 GB available

461% VRAM needed

62.4 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

2.6 tok/s

TTFT

74620 ms

Safe context

Memory

79.7 GB / 17.3 GB

Offload

80%

Memory breakdown

Weights71.4 GB

KV Cache4.9 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom2.6 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower

See how fast it feelsGPT-OSS 120B on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB
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: 2.6 tok/s decode · 74.6s TTFT (warm) · 7 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable shared or unified memory is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 79.7 GB, but this setup only exposes 17.3 GB of usable shared or unified memory.

Best improvement path

Move to a larger memory pool

A larger unified-memory SKU or a discrete high-bandwidth GPU is the cleanest way to make this model practical.

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	F	Too heavy	2.6 tok/s	40702 ms	4K
Coding	F	Too heavy	2.0 tok/s	96800 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	2.6 tok/s	108538 ms	4K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	2.6 tok/s	88187 ms	4K
RAG	F	Too heavy	2.6 tok/s	135672 ms	4K

Quantization options

How GPT-OSS 120B (117B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB (17.3 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	45.6 GB	Low	F0
Q3_K_S	3	57.3 GB	Low	F0
NVFP4	4	65.5 GB	Medium	F0
Q4_K_M	4	71.4 GB	Medium	F0
Q5_K_M	5	84.2 GB	High	F0
Q6_K	6	95.9 GB	High	F0
Q8_0	8	125.2 GB	Very High	F0
F16	16	239.8 GB	Maximum	F0

Opciones de mejora

Hardware que ejecuta bien GPT-OSS 120B

MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GBOpción económica

128 GB Unified (+104)400 GB/s (+127)

Hace que el modelo quepa en el acelerador en lugar de seguir fuera de alcance.3.7 tok/s decodificación

Hace que el modelo quepa en el acelerador en lugar de seguir fuera de alcance.

Elimina el offload a memoria del sistema, que suele ser la mayor mejora individual en latencia y throughput.

~$2,499 MSRP

Mac Studio M2 Ultra 128GBMejor relación calidad-precio

128 GB Unified (+104)800 GB/s (+527)

Hace que el modelo quepa en el acelerador en lugar de seguir fuera de alcance.7.1 tok/s decodificación

Hace que el modelo quepa en el acelerador en lugar de seguir fuera de alcance.

Elimina el offload a memoria del sistema, que suele ser la mayor mejora individual en latencia y throughput.

~$3,999 MSRP

Mac Studio M1 Ultra 128GBMejora Apple

128 GB Unified (+104)800 GB/s (+527)

Hace que el modelo quepa en el acelerador en lugar de seguir fuera de alcance.6.7 tok/s decodificación

Hace que el modelo quepa en el acelerador en lugar de seguir fuera de alcance.

Elimina el offload a memoria del sistema, que suele ser la mayor mejora individual en latencia y throughput.

~$3,999 MSRP

AMD Instinct MI300A 128GBMayor salto

128 GB VRAM (+104)5300 GB/s (+5027)

Hace que el modelo quepa en el acelerador en lugar de seguir fuera de alcance.56.5 tok/s decodificación

Hace que el modelo quepa en el acelerador en lugar de seguir fuera de alcance.

Elimina el offload a memoria del sistema, que suele ser la mayor mejora individual en latencia y throughput.

~$12,000 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB run GPT-OSS 120B?

No, GPT-OSS 120B requires more memory than MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB provides.

How much VRAM does GPT-OSS 120B need?

GPT-OSS 120B (117B parameters) requires approximately 79.7 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for GPT-OSS 120B?

The recommended quantization for GPT-OSS 120B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will GPT-OSS 120B run at on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB, GPT-OSS 120B achieves approximately 2.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 96800ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB run GPT-OSS 120B for coding?

For coding workloads, GPT-OSS 120B on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB receives a F grade with 2.0 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can GPT-OSS 120B use on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB?

On MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB, GPT-OSS 120B can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if GPT-OSS 120B feels slow on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB?

Move to a larger memory pool. A larger unified-memory SKU or a discrete high-bandwidth GPU is the cleanest way to make this model practical.

Is unified memory on MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB as fast as VRAM for GPT-OSS 120B?

Not always. MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 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 M4 Pro 24GB See all hardware for GPT-OSS 120B

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