Can I Run Llama 3.3 on Apple M5?

Superseded model. Llama 3.3 has been superseded by Llama 4. This page is kept for reference; the newer family is a better starting point. View Llama 4 →

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026

Yes, comfortably — you'll have ~11.8 GB of headroom running Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at Q2_K_XS (Tight) (20.212500000000002 GB, ~4 tok/s (est.)).

Buy This HardwareApple MacBook Pro M5 — 32 GB VRAM · 23 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)

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Apple MacBook Pro M5
32 GB VRAM · 23 W board power
2026 prices are volatile — check the current listing.
Check price on Amazon

Apple M5 Specs

VRAM32 GB unified memory
Memory Bandwidth153 GB/s

Llama 3.3 70B Instruct on the Apple M5: VRAM by quantization

QuantVRAM neededFits 32 GB?Max context
F16142.1 GB✗ No—
Q8_076.5 GB✗ No—
Q6_K59.5 GB✗ No—
Q5_K_M51.8 GB✗ No—
Q4_K_M44.4 GB✗ No—
Q3_K_M32 GB✓ Yes4K
Q2_K25.2 GB✓ Yes16K

VRAM needed assumes a 4K-token context with an f16 KV cache; “Max context” is the largest window that still fits in 32 GB of unified memory. Figures are estimates from parameter count, quantization and memory bandwidth — the analyzer lets you tune KV-cache quant and context.

Llama 3.3 Sizes That Fit the Apple M5

Llama 3.3 70B InstructQ2_K_XS (Tight) · 20.212500000000002 GB · ~4 tok/s (est.)
Buy vs. rent Llama 3.3
Buy the GPU
~$1,599
Apple M5 · MSRP
Rent by the hour
from $0.34/hr
RTX 4090 (24 GB) class

At 2 hrs/day, buying (~$1,599) beats renting at $0.34/hr after about 6.5 years.

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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

Does the Apple M5 have enough VRAM for Llama 3.3?

Yes, comfortably — you'll have ~11.8 GB of headroom running Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at Q2_K_XS (Tight) (20.212500000000002 GB, ~4 tok/s (est.)).

Which quantization of Llama 3.3 should I use on the Apple M5?

Llama 3.3 70B Instruct at Q2_K_XS (Tight) quantization (20.212500000000002 GB), estimated ~4 tokens/sec.

Llama 3.3 on Other GPUs

Popular Models on the Apple M5

VRAM Tier

Troubleshooting

Buying Guide

← Can I Run It? | Llama 3.3 Model Page | Apple M5 GPU Page | Check Your Hardware