text model · DeepSeek-V3 · macOS
Can I run DeepSeek V3 on Apple M4 Pro (48GB)?
No. DeepSeek V3 needs ~383.7 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Apple M4 Pro (48GB) only has ~32 GB usable.
Needs ~383.7 GB even at Q4_K_M, but only ~32 GB is usable.
- Q4_K_M needed
- ~383.7 GB
- Usable on device
- ~32 GB
- Device memory
- 48 GB
- Parameters
- 671B (MoE, 37B active)
- Q4_K_M size
- 376.66 GB
- Context
- 128k
- Ollama tag
- deepseek-v3:671b
- Memory
- 48 GB unified
- Usable for weights
- ~32 GB
- Best runtime
- Ollama (MLX backend) / MLX direct
What you can run instead
FAQ
Can Apple M4 Pro (48GB) run DeepSeek V3?
No. DeepSeek V3 needs ~383.7 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Apple M4 Pro (48GB) only has ~32 GB usable.
How much memory does DeepSeek V3 need?
Apple M4 Pro (48GB) does not have enough memory. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~376.66 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~383.7 GB at a 4k context. It is a Mixture-of-Experts model (671B total / 37B active), so all experts must stay in memory; memory tracks total params, not active params.
What is the best tool to run DeepSeek V3 on macOS?
LM Studio for a simple setup; mlx-lm for the most speed. vLLM is NOT a Mac tool, it is a CUDA/Linux serving engine. Unified memory is not a fixed VRAM slice; ~70% is usable for weights.
Sources
Memory figures are estimates. See methodology.