text model · Llama · macOS
Can I run Llama 3.3 70B on Apple M1 (8GB)?
No. Llama 3.3 70B needs ~45.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Apple M1 (8GB) only has ~5.5 GB usable.
Needs ~45.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but only ~5.5 GB is usable.
That figure is at a 4k context and moves about ±15% as context length changes.
The gap is about 39.8 GB: Llama 3.3 70B needs roughly 45.3 GB at Q4_K_M and Apple M1 (8GB) leaves only about 5.5 GB usable for a model. The lightest tracked hardware that runs Llama 3.3 70B is the Apple M4 Max (64GB) at 64 GB. See Llama 3.3 70B on Apple M4 Max (64GB).
- Q4_K_M needed
- ~45.3 GB
- Usable on device
- ~5.5 GB
- Device memory
- 8 GB
Which quant fits
- Parameters
- 70B
- Q4_K_M size
- 42.52 GB
- Q8_0 size
- 74.98 GB
- Context
- 128k
- Ollama tag
- llama3.3:70b
- Memory
- 8 GB unified
- Usable for weights
- ~5.5 GB
- Power draw
- ~39 W
- Best runtime
- Ollama (llama.cpp Metal backend)
What you can run instead
Run Llama 3.3 70B on other hardware
FAQ
Can Apple M1 (8GB) run Llama 3.3 70B?
No. Llama 3.3 70B needs ~45.3 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Apple M1 (8GB) only has ~5.5 GB usable.
How much memory does Llama 3.3 70B need?
Apple M1 (8GB) 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.
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A live badge for your model card or README, updated as the data is. [](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/llama-3.3-70b/apple-m1-8gb) 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.