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text model · Qwen2.5 · macOS

Can I run Qwen2.5 14B on Apple M3 Pro (18GB)?

Compatibility verdict VRAM threshold engine
Yes, it runsGPU accelerated

Yes. Qwen2.5 14B runs on Apple M3 Pro (18GB) at Q4_K_M (~10.7 GB of ~12 GB usable).

Needs ~10.7 GB Device usable ~12 GB

Runs at Q4_K_M using ~10.7 GB of ~12 GB usable.

Q4_K_M needed
~10.7 GB
Usable on device
~12 GB
Device memory
18 GB
Best quant
Q4_K_M

Run it

Install commands macOS

Pick your tool. All three load the same Q4_K_M weights.

Ollama
$ ollama run qwen2.5:14b
llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf bartowski/Qwen2.5-14B-Instruct-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get bartowski/Qwen2.5-14B-Instruct-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.

Model Qwen2.5
Parameters
14B
Q4_K_M size
8.99 GB
Q8_0 size
15.7 GB
Context
128k
Ollama tag
qwen2.5:14b
Full Qwen2.5 14B requirements →
Device macOS
Memory
18 GB unified
Usable for weights
~12 GB
Best runtime
Ollama (llama.cpp Metal backend) / MLX
Best models for Apple M3 Pro (18GB) →

You could also run

Run Qwen2.5 14B on other hardware

FAQ

Can Apple M3 Pro (18GB) run Qwen2.5 14B?

Yes. Qwen2.5 14B runs on Apple M3 Pro (18GB) at Q4_K_M (~10.7 GB of ~12 GB usable).

How much memory does Qwen2.5 14B need?

Apple M3 Pro (18GB) has room to spare. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~8.99 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~10.7 GB at a 4k context.

What is the best tool to run Qwen2.5 14B 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.