What is the minimum hardware to run Magistral Small?

Apple M4 (24GB) is the lightest device that runs Magistral Small, using ~16 GB at Q4_K_M of its ~16 GB usable. Anything with less usable memory cannot load it.

How much memory does Magistral Small need?

At Q4_K_M it needs about 16 GB (weights ~14 GB + KV cache + overhead at 4k context). At Q8_0 budget ~27 GB.

Can I run Magistral Small on a Mac?

Yes. Magistral Small runs on Apple Silicon with enough unified memory; the ranked list below shows the lightest Mac that fits.

Can I run Magistral Small on a phone?

No. Magistral Small is too large for current phone memory at Q4_K_M; stick to a laptop, desktop GPU, or Mac.

Magistral Small: what hardware do you need to run it? (2026)

What kind of hardware runs Magistral Small

Of the 15 devices that run it, here is the split by hardware class.

5 discrete GPUs 9 Macs 1 laptop

Hardware that runs Magistral Small

Ranked by usable memory, lightest first. Prices are approximate street prices for the device itself (a GPU is the card alone; a Mac is the whole machine). Tok/s is a bandwidth estimate; see methodology.

Compatible devices 15 total

Apple M4 (24GB) from $1,299

~16 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~7 tok/s est.

Tight
Apple M4 Pro (24GB) from $1,999

~16 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~16 tok/s est.

Tight
Apple M5 (32GB) from $1,299

~21 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~9 tok/s est.

Yes
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 (24GB) from $1,599

~23 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~47 tok/s est.

Yes
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 (24GB) from $1,499

~23 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~43 tok/s est.

Yes
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (24GB) from $999

~23 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~45 tok/s est.

Yes
32GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) from $1,100

~28 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~3 tok/s est.

Yes
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (32GB) from $1,999

~31 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~83 tok/s est.

Yes
Apple M4 Pro (48GB) from $2,399

~32 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~16 tok/s est.

Yes
Apple M5 Pro (48GB) from $2,199

~32 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~18 tok/s est.

Yes
Apple M4 Max (64GB) from $3,499

~48 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~31 tok/s est.

Yes
Apple M4 Max (128GB) from $3,499

~96 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~31 tok/s est.

Yes
AMD Ryzen AI Halo (128GB) from $3,999

~96 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~12 tok/s est.

Yes
Apple M5 Max (128GB) from $3,599

~96 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~35 tok/s est.

Yes
Apple M3 Ultra (256GB) from $3,999

~192 GB usable · uses ~16 GB · ~47 tok/s est.

Yes

What hardware do you need to run Magistral Small?

What kind of hardware runs Magistral Small

Hardware that runs Magistral Small

Too small for Magistral Small

Sources