text model · llama · macOS
Can I run Llama 3.3 70B on Apple M5 (32GB)?
No. Llama 3.3 70B needs ~45.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Apple M5 (32GB) only has ~21 GB usable.
Needs ~45.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but only ~21 GB is usable.
- Q4_K_M needed
- ~45.3 GB
- Usable on device
- ~21 GB
- Device memory
- 32 GB
- Parameters
- 70B
- Q4_K_M size
- 42.52 GB
- Q8_0 size
- 74.98 GB
- Context
- 128k
- Ollama tag
- llama3.3:70b
- Memory
- 32 GB unified
- Usable for weights
- ~21 GB
- Best runtime
- MLX direct / Ollama (MLX backend)
What you can run instead
Run Llama 3.3 70B on other hardware
FAQ
Can Apple M5 (32GB) run Llama 3.3 70B?
No. Llama 3.3 70B needs ~45.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Apple M5 (32GB) only has ~21 GB usable.
How much memory does Llama 3.3 70B need?
Apple M5 (32GB) does not have enough memory. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~42.52 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~45.3 GB at a 4k context.
What is the best tool to run Llama 3.3 70B 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.