Can StarCoder2 15B run on Mac mini M4 64GB?

YES — Runs Great

C45Usable

Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs

StarCoder2 15B needs ~19.8 GB VRAM. Mac mini M4 64GB has 46.1 GB. With Q5_K_M quantization, expect ~8 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

Q5_K_M (High quality) — 19.8 GB, 8.2 tok/s, Runs well

19.8 GB required46.1 GB available

43% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

8.2 tok/s

TTFT

23521 ms

Safe context

16K

Memory

19.8 GB / 46.1 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights10.8 GB

KV Cache1.2 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom6.9 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsStarCoder2 15B 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: 8.2 tok/s decode · 23.5s TTFT (warm) · 21 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	8.2 tok/s	12830 ms	16K
Coding	C	Runs well	8.2 tok/s	23521 ms	16K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	8.2 tok/s	34212 ms	16K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	8.2 tok/s	27797 ms	16K
RAG	C	Runs well	8.2 tok/s	42765 ms	16K

Quantization options

How StarCoder2 15B (15B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac mini M4 64GB (46.1 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	5.9 GB	Low	C43
Q3_K_S	3	7.4 GB	Low	C44
NVFP4	4	8.4 GB	Medium	C44
Q4_K_M	4	9.2 GB	Medium	C44
Q5_K_M	5	10.8 GB	High	C45
Q6_K	6	12.3 GB	High	C45
Q8_0	8	16.1 GB	Very High	C46
F16Best for your GPU	16	30.7 GB	Maximum	C49

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run StarCoder2 15B on your machine.

Run

docker run --rm -it ghcr.io/ggerganov/llama.cpp:full \
  --hf-repo "bigcode/starcoder2-15b" \
  --hf-file "starcoder2-15b-Q5_K_M.gguf" \
  -c 4096 -ngl 99

Opciones de mejora

Hardware que ejecuta bien StarCoder2 15B

MacBook Pro M4 Max 96GBOpción económica

96 GB Unified (+32)546 GB/s (+426)

Sube la velocidad estimada de decodificación alrededor de un 300%.32.8 tok/s decodificación

Sube la velocidad estimada de decodificación alrededor de un 300%.

Añade margen de memoria para más contexto y para que el modelo envejezca mejor.

~$2,499 MSRP

MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GBMejor relación calidad-precio

128 GB Unified (+64)400 GB/s (+280)

Sube la velocidad estimada de decodificación alrededor de un 201%.24.7 tok/s decodificación

Sube la velocidad estimada de decodificación alrededor de un 201%.

Añade margen de memoria para más contexto y para que el modelo envejezca mejor.

~$2,499 MSRP

Mac Studio M3 Ultra 96GBMejora Apple

96 GB Unified (+32)819 GB/s (+699)

Sube la velocidad estimada de decodificación alrededor de un 600%.57.4 tok/s decodificación

Sube la velocidad estimada de decodificación alrededor de un 600%.

Añade margen de memoria para más contexto y para que el modelo envejezca mejor.

~$3,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can Mac mini M4 64GB run StarCoder2 15B?

Yes, Mac mini M4 64GB can run StarCoder2 15B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 8.2 tok/s.

How much VRAM does StarCoder2 15B need?

StarCoder2 15B (15B parameters) requires approximately 19.8 GB of memory with Q5_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for StarCoder2 15B?

The recommended quantization for StarCoder2 15B is Q5_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will StarCoder2 15B run at on Mac mini M4 64GB?

On Mac mini M4 64GB, StarCoder2 15B achieves approximately 8.2 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 23521ms using Q5_K_M quantization.

Can Mac mini M4 64GB run StarCoder2 15B for coding?

For coding workloads, StarCoder2 15B on Mac mini M4 64GB receives a C grade with 8.2 tok/s and 16K context.

What context window can StarCoder2 15B use on Mac mini M4 64GB?

On Mac mini M4 64GB, StarCoder2 15B can safely use up to 16K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 16K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

Is unified memory on Mac mini M4 64GB as fast as VRAM for StarCoder2 15B?

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.

See all results for Mac mini M4 64GB See all hardware for StarCoder2 15B

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