text model · gemma · macOS
Can I run Gemma 2 9B on Apple M5 (32GB)?
Yes. Gemma 2 9B runs on Apple M5 (32GB) at Q4_K_M (~7.3 GB of ~21 GB usable).
Runs at Q4_K_M using ~7.3 GB of ~21 GB usable. You have room for FP16 for higher quality.
- Q4_K_M needed
- ~7.3 GB
- Usable on device
- ~21 GB
- Device memory
- 32 GB
- Best quant
- Q4_K_M
Run it
Pick your tool. All three load the same Q4_K_M weights.
ollama run gemma2:9b llama-cli -hf bartowski/gemma-2-9b-it-GGUF:Q4_K_M lms get bartowski/gemma-2-9b-it-GGUF 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.
- Parameters
- 9B
- Q4_K_M size
- 5.76 GB
- Q8_0 size
- 9.83 GB
- Context
- 8k
- Ollama tag
- gemma2:9b
- Memory
- 32 GB unified
- Usable for weights
- ~21 GB
- Best runtime
- MLX direct / Ollama (MLX backend)
You could also run
Run Gemma 2 9B on other hardware
FAQ
Can Apple M5 (32GB) run Gemma 2 9B?
Yes. Gemma 2 9B runs on Apple M5 (32GB) at Q4_K_M (~7.3 GB of ~21 GB usable).
How much memory does Gemma 2 9B need?
Apple M5 (32GB) has room to spare. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~5.76 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~7.3 GB at a 4k context.
What is the best tool to run Gemma 2 9B 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.