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text model · Gemma · macOS

Can I run Gemma 4 E2B on Apple M5 Pro (48GB)?

Compatibility verdict VRAM threshold engine
Yes, it runs GPU accelerated ~79 tok/s est.

Yes. Gemma 4 E2B runs on Apple M5 Pro (48GB) at Q4_K_M (~4.4 GB of ~32 GB usable).

Needs ~4.4 GB Device usable ~32 GB

Runs at Q4_K_M using ~4.4 GB of ~32 GB usable. You have room for FP16 for higher quality.

That figure is at a 4k context and moves about ±15% as context length changes. Apple M5 Pro (48GB) leaves ~27.6 GB of headroom, room to step up to FP16 for higher quality.

Q4_K_M needed
~4.4 GB
Usable on device
~32 GB
Device memory
48 GB
Best quant
Q4_K_M
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Which quant fits

Quant ladder vs ~32 GB usable
Q2_K
~3.4 GB
Q3_K_M
~3.8 GB
Q4_K_M
~4.4 GB
Q5_K_M
~4.9 GB
Q6_K
~5.5 GB
Q8_0
~6.4 GB
FP16
~10.6 GB
The line marks Apple M5 Pro (48GB)'s ~32 GB budget; rungs past it are too large.

Run it

Install commands macOS

Pick your tool. All 3 load the same Q4_K_M weights.

Ollama
$ ollama run gemma4:e2b
llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf unsloth/gemma-4-E2B-it-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get unsloth/gemma-4-E2B-it-GGUF
Model Gemma
Parameters
5.1B
Q4_K_M size
3.11 GB
Q8_0 size
5.05 GB
Context
128k
Ollama tag
gemma4:e2b
Full Gemma 4 E2B requirements →
Device macOS
Memory
48 GB unified
Usable for weights
~32 GB
Best runtime
MLX direct / Ollama (MLX backend)
Best models for Apple M5 Pro (48GB) →

You could also run

Run Gemma 4 E2B on other hardware

FAQ

Can Apple M5 Pro (48GB) run Gemma 4 E2B?

Yes. Gemma 4 E2B runs on Apple M5 Pro (48GB) at Q4_K_M (~4.4 GB of ~32 GB usable).

How much memory does Gemma 4 E2B need?

Apple M5 Pro (48GB) has room to spare. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~3.11 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~4.4 GB at a 4k context.

What is the best tool to run Gemma 4 E2B 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.

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Sources

Weights are measured from GGUF files; KV cache and overhead are computed, so totals can vary ~15% with context and runtime. Any tok/s is a bandwidth estimate. See methodology.