Can I Run Cogito v1 on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)?

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated March 20, 2026

Yes, but it is tight

Yes, but it is tight — Cogito v1 14B at Q4_K_M needs about 10.9 GB of the 12 GB usable on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB), leaving only ~1.1 GB before the runtime starts swapping. Expect ~7 tok/s (estimated), with room for about 8,192 tokens of context.

Confidence: medium · Recommended quantization: Q4_K_M · Estimated speed: ~7 tok/s

Mac mini (M4, 16 GB) — what it gives a model

Usable memory for models	12 GB
Memory bandwidth	120 GB/s
Form factor	Mini PC
Operating system	macOS
Memory upgradeable	No — soldered
Price	$599 (lib/data/ai-stations.ts (street price), checked 2026-07-06)

Cogito v1 on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB): memory by quantization

Quant	Memory needed	Fits 12 GB?	Max context	Est. speed	Download
F16	30.4 GB	✗ No	—	—	28 GB
Q8_0	17.3 GB	✗ No	—	—	14.9 GB
Q6_K	13.9 GB	✗ No	—	—	11.5 GB
Q5_K_M	12.3 GB	✗ No	—	—	9.9 GB
Q4_K_M	10.9 GB	✓ Yes	8K	~7 tok/s	8.5 GB
Q3_K_M	8.4 GB	✓ Yes	16K	~9.4 tok/s	6 GB
Q2_K	7 GB	✓ Yes	32K	~11.7 tok/s	4.6 GB

Which Cogito v1 sizes fit

Variant	Needs at Q4_K_M	Fits?	Est. speed
Cogito v1 70B	45.7 GB	✗ Too large	—
Cogito v1 32B	22.3 GB	✗ Too large	—
Cogito v1 14B	10.9 GB	✓ Fits	~7 tok/s
Cogito v1 8B	6.7 GB	✓ Fits	~11.8 tok/s
Cogito v1 3B	3.6 GB	✓ Fits	~26.5 tok/s

What to watch out for

Only ~1.1 GB of headroom at Q4_K_M: a longer context or a second application can push this into swapping.
2 larger variants of Cogito v1 do not fit and would need CPU offload or different hardware.
Memory on this machine is not upgradeable, so the configuration you buy is the ceiling for every model you will ever run on it.

Mac mini M4 16 GB limitations

The cheapest credible always-on local-AI box, but 16 GB caps it at small and mid-size models.
Memory is soldered; upgrading means replacing the machine.

Recommended setup

Ollama or LM Studio (Metal) — MLX for the fastest Apple-native throughput

How these numbers are calculated

Memory need = quantized weights + KV cache at 8,192 tokens (f16) + 0.8 GB runtime overhead.
16 GB unified memory at 120 GB/s, shared between CPU and GPU.
macOS reserves a share of unified memory for the system, so not all of it is available to a model.
Throughput is a memory-bandwidth roofline estimate, not a measurement. It is labelled "estimated" everywhere it appears.
KV cache is computed from this model's published attention configuration.

FAQ

Can I run Cogito v1 on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)?

Which quantization of Cogito v1 should I use on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)?

Q4_K_M — it needs about 10.9 GB of the 12 GB available, downloads as roughly 8.5 GB, and runs at an estimated 7 tokens/sec with up to 8K of context.

What limits Cogito v1 on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)?

Nothing binding — the model fits with headroom and generates at a usable speed on this hardware.

Can I Run Cogito v1 on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)?

Mac mini (M4, 16 GB) — what it gives a model

Cogito v1 on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB): memory by quantization

Which Cogito v1 sizes fit

What to watch out for

Mac mini M4 16 GB limitations

Recommended setup

How these numbers are calculated

FAQ

Can I run Cogito v1 on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)?

Which quantization of Cogito v1 should I use on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)?

What limits Cogito v1 on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)?

Which runtime should I use?

Other Computers

Other Models on Mac mini (M4, 16 GB)

Cogito v1 on GPUs

What This Model Is Good At

Model & Tools