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text model · GLM · macOS

GL Can I run GLM-4 9B on Apple M1 (8GB)?

Compatibility verdict VRAM threshold engine
No, not enough memorywould not load

No. GLM-4 9B needs ~7.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Apple M1 (8GB) only has ~5.5 GB usable.

Needs ~7.3 GB Device usable ~5.5 GB

Needs ~7.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but only ~5.5 GB is usable.

Q4_K_M needed
~7.3 GB
Usable on device
~5.5 GB
Device memory
8 GB
Model GLM
Parameters
9B
Q4_K_M size
5.82 GB
Q8_0 size
9.31 GB
Context
128k
Ollama tag
glm4:9b
Full GLM-4 9B requirements →
Device macOS
Memory
8 GB unified
Usable for weights
~5.5 GB
Best runtime
Ollama (llama.cpp Metal backend)
Best models for Apple M1 (8GB) →

What you can run instead

Run GLM-4 9B on other hardware

FAQ

Can Apple M1 (8GB) run GLM-4 9B?

No. GLM-4 9B needs ~7.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Apple M1 (8GB) only has ~5.5 GB usable.

How much memory does GLM-4 9B need?

Apple M1 (8GB) does not have enough memory. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~5.82 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~7.3 GB at a 4k context.

What is the best tool to run GLM-4 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.