Apple M3 — Local LLM Performance & Compatibility

Name: LLM Configurator — GPU VRAM Checker
Author: LLM Configurator

Autor: Jakub Rusinowski · Ostatnia aktualizacja: 12 lipca 2026

Do 24 GB pamięci zunifikowanej przy 100 GB/s — ten sam limit pamięci co M2, ale w procesie 3 nm. Wygodnie mieści modele 7–8B w Q4. Powszechny w MacBooku Air, iMacu i Macu mini.

Technical Specifications

VRAM	24 GB unified memory
Memory Bandwidth	100 GB/s
TDP	22 W
Architecture	ARM, 3nm TSMC
Release Year	2023
MSRP at Launch	$1,099
Inference Speed (Llama 3.1 8B Q4_K_M)	6.4–13 tok/s (estimated)
Inference Speed (Llama 3.3 70B Q4_K_M)	Does not fit — needs ~44 GB of 18 GB usable

Buy This HardwareApple MacBook Air M3 — 24 GB VRAM · 22 W board power Deploy in the Cloud NowRTX 4090 on RunPod — from $0.34/hr · rate checked 2026-07

or compare on Vast.ai from $0.35/hr (typical low · varies)

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Apple MacBook Air M3

24 GB VRAM · 22 W board power

Ceny w 2026 są niestabilne — sprawdź aktualną ofertę.

Sprawdź cenę na Amazon

LLMs Compatible with 24 GB Unified Memory

All models below run comfortably in 24 GB unified memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

Llama 3.1 Family	Llama 3.1 8B Instruct · 6 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run llama3.1`
Llama 3.2 Family	Llama 3.2 11B Vision Instruct · 7 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · llama-3-2
Qwen 2.5 Family	Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B · 20 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run qwen2.5-coder:32b`
Gemma 3	Gemma 3 27B Instruct · 17 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run gemma3:27b`
Phi-4 Mini	Phi-4 Mini (3.8B) · 3 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run phi4-mini`
Mistral Family	Mistral Small 3 (24B) · 15 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run mistral-small`
SmolLM2	SmolLM2 1.7B Instruct · 2 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run smollm2:1.7b`
Qwen3.8	Qwen3.8 27B · 18 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run qwen3.8:27b`

Best Use Cases

8B models (Q4)
MacBook Air
iMac
entry-level

Quick Start with Ollama

Install Ollama then run the recommended model for this GPU:

ollama run llama3.2:3b

FAQ

Can the Apple M3 run local LLMs?

Yes — the Apple M3 has 24 GB unified memory and runs Do 24 GB pamięci zunifikowanej przy 100 GB/s — ten sam limit pamięci co M2, ale w procesie 3 nm. Wygodnie mieści modele

How fast is the Apple M3 for AI inference?

The Apple M3 is estimated to run Llama 3.1 8B at 6.4–13 tok/s with Q4_K_M quantization. Llama 3.3 70B does not fit: it needs about 44 GB against 18 GB usable. These are modelled estimates, not measurements — see /en/methodology.

What LLMs can I run on 24 GB VRAM?

With 24 GB you can run: Llama 3.1 Family, Llama 3.2 Family, Qwen 2.5 Family, Gemma 3, Phi-4 Mini. Use Ollama for the easiest setup: ollama run llama3.2:3b.

Can I Run It? — Apple M3

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VRAM Tier

Best LLMs for 24 GB VRAM

Buying Guide

Best GPU Buyer Guide 2026

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