Can I Run Mistral Small 4 on Apple M4?
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026
No — Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B at Q4_K_M needs 75.5 GB at 8K context (71.8 GB weights + 3.7 GB KV cache/overhead), and the Apple M4's 24 GB usable memory leaves it ~51.5 GB short. The cheapest card that runs it is the NVIDIA A100 80GB (PCIe) (80 GB).
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Apple M4 Specs
| VRAM | 32 GB unified memory |
| Memory Bandwidth | 120 GB/s |
Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B on the Apple M4: VRAM by quantization
| Quant | VRAM needed | Fits 32 GB? | Max context | Whole PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F16 | 241.7 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q8_0 | 130.1 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q6_K | 101.2 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q5_K_M | 88 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q4_K_M | 75.5 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q3_K_M | 54.4 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q2_K | 42.8 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
Assumes an 8K-token context with an f16 KV cache, on an estimated architecture — this model publishes no config we can read. A longer window needs more; a quantized KV cache needs less. “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.
Context costs VRAM too. At Q4_K_M on the Apple M4: 8K 75.5 GB ✗ · 32K 84.1 GB ✗ · 128K 118.3 GB ✗. Past 8K it no longer fits 32 GB — a q8_0 KV cache buys roughly half of that back, which the calculator will price for you.
No compatible GPU? Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B on 64 GB of system RAM, CPU only: runs.
Why It Does Not Fit
Every Mistral Small 4 variant requires more VRAM than the Apple M4 provides (32 GB).
Nearest GPU That Fits
NVIDIA A100 80GB (PCIe) (80 GB VRAM).
Mistral Small 4 needs ~76 GB but this GPU has 32 GB. Rent a A100 (80 GB)-class GPU by the hour instead of buying one:
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FAQ
Does the Apple M4 have enough VRAM for Mistral Small 4?
No — Mistral Small 4 119B-A6.5B at Q4_K_M needs 75.5 GB at 8K context (71.8 GB weights + 3.7 GB KV cache/overhead), and the Apple M4's 24 GB usable memory leaves it ~51.5 GB short. The cheapest card that runs it is the NVIDIA A100 80GB (PCIe) (80 GB).
Which GPU can actually run Mistral Small 4?
The NVIDIA A100 80GB (PCIe) (80 GB VRAM) is the cheapest upgrade that fits it.
Mistral Small 4 on Other GPUs
- Mistral Small 4 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- Mistral Small 4 on Apple M2 Pro
- Mistral Small 4 on Apple M1 Pro
- Mistral Small 4 on Apple M5
- Mistral Small 4 on Apple M3 Pro
Popular Models on the Apple M4
VRAM Tier
Troubleshooting
- Ollama: "model requires more system memory than is available"
- Which GGUF quant should I download? (Q4 vs Q5 vs Q8)
Buying Guide
← Can I Run It? | Mistral Small 4 Model Page | Apple M4 GPU Page | VRAM calculator | Check Your Hardware