Can Cerebras-GPT 13B run on Mac mini M4 32GB?

YES — With Offload

B62Good
Estimated from fit model

Cerebras-GPT 13B needs ~23.8 GB VRAM. Mac mini M4 32GB has 23.0 GB. With Q5_K_M quantization, expect ~8 tok/s.

Runtime: OllamaCapacity: OffloadBandwidth: Very lowStack: BasicBottleneck: Memory bandwidth
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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) 23.8 GB, 7.8 tok/s, Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)
23.8 GB required23.0 GB available
103% VRAM needed

0.8 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)

Decode

7.8 tok/s

TTFT

24921 ms

Safe context

15K

Memory

23.8 GB / 23.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights9.4 GB
KV Cache9.8 GB
Runtime1.2 GB
Headroom3.5 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsCerebras-GPT 13B on Mac mini M4 32GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step. Given information: - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour) - Time = 2.5 hours Formula: Distance = Speed x Time Calculation: Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h = 150 miles The train travels 150 miles. Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time. Breakdown: - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance) - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles Total distance: 150 miles (same) Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 7.8 tok/s decode · 24.9s 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.

Very little memory headroom

You can run the model, but there is not much room left for longer context, bigger batches, extra apps, or future model updates.

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.

Buy headroom, not only minimum fit

A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.

Performance by workload

WorkloadGradeFitDecodeTTFTContext
ChatBTight fit8.3 tok/s12745 ms15K
CodingBRuns with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)7.8 tok/s24921 ms15K
Agentic CodingFToo heavy5.0 tok/s56183 ms15K
ReasoningBRuns with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)7.8 tok/s29452 ms15K
RAGFToo heavy5.0 tok/s70228 ms15K

Quantization options

How Cerebras-GPT 13B (13B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac mini M4 32GB (23.0 GB usable).

QuantBitsVRAMQualityFit
Q2_K
2
5.1 GB
LowB62
Q3_K_S
3
6.4 GB
LowB63
NVFP4
4
7.3 GB
MediumB63
Q4_K_M
4
7.9 GB
MediumB64
Q5_K_M
5
9.4 GB
HighB65
Q6_K
6
10.7 GB
HighB66
Q8_0Best for your GPU
8
13.9 GB
Very HighB66
F16
16
26.7 GB
MaximumF0

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Cerebras-GPT 13B on your machine.

Run

docker run --rm -it ghcr.io/ggerganov/llama.cpp:full \ --hf-repo "cerebras/Cerebras-GPT-13B" \ --hf-file "Cerebras-GPT-13B-Q5_K_M.gguf" \ -c 4096 -ngl 99

アップグレードオプション

Cerebras-GPT 13Bを快適に動かすハードウェア

Frequently asked questions

Can Mac mini M4 32GB run Cerebras-GPT 13B?

Yes, Mac mini M4 32GB can run Cerebras-GPT 13B with a B grade (Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)). Expected decode speed: 7.8 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Cerebras-GPT 13B need?

Cerebras-GPT 13B (13B parameters) requires approximately 23.8 GB of memory with Q5_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Cerebras-GPT 13B?

The recommended quantization for Cerebras-GPT 13B is Q5_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Cerebras-GPT 13B run at on Mac mini M4 32GB?

On Mac mini M4 32GB, Cerebras-GPT 13B achieves approximately 7.8 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 24921ms using Q5_K_M quantization.

Can Mac mini M4 32GB run Cerebras-GPT 13B for coding?

For coding workloads, Cerebras-GPT 13B on Mac mini M4 32GB receives a B grade with 7.8 tok/s and 15K context.

What context window can Cerebras-GPT 13B use on Mac mini M4 32GB?

On Mac mini M4 32GB, Cerebras-GPT 13B can safely use up to 15K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Cerebras-GPT 13B feels slow on Mac mini M4 32GB?

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 Mac mini M4 32GB as fast as VRAM for Cerebras-GPT 13B?

Not always. Mac mini M4 32GB 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 32GBSee all hardware for Cerebras-GPT 13B
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