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text model · Granite · macOS

Can I run Granite 3.1 2B on Apple M5 Pro (48GB)?

Compatibility verdict VRAM threshold engine
Yes, it runs GPU accelerated ~158 tok/s est.

Yes. Granite 3.1 2B runs on Apple M5 Pro (48GB) at Q4_K_M (~2.8 GB of ~32 GB usable).

Needs ~2.8 GB Device usable ~32 GB

Runs at Q4_K_M using ~2.8 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 ~29.2 GB of headroom, room to step up to FP16 for higher quality.

Q4_K_M needed
~2.8 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
~2.3 GB
Q3_K_M
~2.4 GB
Q4_K_M
~2.8 GB
Q5_K_M
~3 GB
Q6_K
~3.3 GB
Q8_0
~3.9 GB
FP16
~6.3 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 granite3.1-dense:2b
llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf bartowski/granite-3.1-2b-instruct-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get bartowski/granite-3.1-2b-instruct-GGUF
Model Granite
Parameters
2.53B
Q4_K_M size
1.55 GB
Q8_0 size
2.69 GB
Context
128k
Ollama tag
granite3.1-dense:2b
Full Granite 3.1 2B 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 Granite 3.1 2B on other hardware

FAQ

Can Apple M5 Pro (48GB) run Granite 3.1 2B?

Yes. Granite 3.1 2B runs on Apple M5 Pro (48GB) at Q4_K_M (~2.8 GB of ~32 GB usable).

How much memory does Granite 3.1 2B need?

Apple M5 Pro (48GB) has room to spare. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~1.55 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~2.8 GB at a 4k context.

What is the best tool to run Granite 3.1 2B 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.