Can I Run Gemma 4 on Apple M2?

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026

Yes, comfortably — you'll have ~8.3 GB of headroom running Gemma 4 26B-A4B at Q4_K_M (15.6975 GB, ~16 tok/s (est.)) with room for up to 32K context.

Buy This HardwareApple Mac mini M2 — 24 GB VRAM · 20 W board powerDeploy in the Cloud NowRTX 4090 on RunPod — from $0.34/hr · rate checked 2026-07

or compare on Vast.ai from $0.35/hr (typical low · varies)

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Cloud GPU links are referral links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links — if you buy through them, LLM Configurator may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, LLM Configurator earns from qualifying purchases.

Apple Mac mini M2
24 GB VRAM · 20 W board power
2026 prices are volatile — check the current listing.
Check price on Amazon

Apple M2 Specs

VRAM24 GB unified memory
Memory Bandwidth100 GB/s

Gemma 4 26B-A4B on the Apple M2: VRAM by quantization

QuantVRAM neededFits 24 GB?Max context
F1653.7 GB✗ No
Q8_029.3 GB✗ No
Q6_K23 GB✓ Yes8K
Q5_K_M20.1 GB✓ Yes16K
Q4_K_M17.4 GB✓ Yes32K
Q3_K_M12.7 GB✓ Yes32K
Q2_K10.2 GB✓ Yes64K

VRAM needed assumes a 4K-token context with an f16 KV cache; “Max context” is the largest window that still fits in 24 GB of unified memory. Figures are estimates from parameter count, quantization and memory bandwidth — the analyzer lets you tune KV-cache quant and context.

Gemma 4 Sizes That Fit the Apple M2

Gemma 4 26B-A4BQ4_K_M · 15.6975 GB · ~16 tok/s (est.)
Gemma 4 12B (Unified)Q4_K_M · 7.245 GB · ~7 tok/s (est.)
Gemma 4 E4BQ4 (QAT) · 4.5 GB · ~10 tok/s (est.)
Gemma 4 E2BQ4 (QAT) · 2.86875 GB · ~15 tok/s (est.)
Buy vs. rent Gemma 4
Buy the GPU
~$1,099
Apple M2 · MSRP
Rent by the hour
from $0.34/hr
RTX 4090 (24 GB) class

At 2 hrs/day, buying (~$1,099) beats renting at $0.34/hr after about 4.5 years.

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.

RunPod $0.34/hr
Rent on RunPod →
Vast.ai $0.35/hr · typical low · varies
Rent on Vast.ai →

Cloud rates verified 2026-07 — estimates, and marketplace prices vary. Buying price is GPU MSRP only, not a full PC.

FAQ

Will Gemma 4 run on the Apple M2?

Yes, comfortably — you'll have ~8.3 GB of headroom running Gemma 4 26B-A4B at Q4_K_M (15.6975 GB, ~16 tok/s (est.)) with room for up to 32K context.

Which Gemma 4 variant fits best on the Apple M2?

Gemma 4 26B-A4B at Q4_K_M quantization (15.6975 GB), estimated ~16 tokens/sec, up to 32K context.

Gemma 4 on Other GPUs

VRAM Tier

Troubleshooting

Buying Guide

← Can I Run It? | Gemma 4 Model Page | Apple M2 GPU Page | Check Your Hardware