Can I Run StarCoder 2 on Apple M1?

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026

Yes, comfortably — you'll have ~6.6 GB of headroom running StarCoder 2 15B at Q4_K_M (9.358125 GB, ~4 tok/s (est.)) with room for up to 16K context.

Buy This HardwareApple Mac mini M1 (16GB) — 16 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)

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Apple Mac mini M1 (16GB)
16 GB VRAM · 20 W board power
2026 prices are volatile — check the current listing.
Check price on Amazon

Apple M1 Specs

VRAM16 GB unified memory
Memory Bandwidth68 GB/s

StarCoder 2 15B on the Apple M1: VRAM by quantization

QuantVRAM neededFits 16 GB?Max context
F1632.1 GB✗ No
Q8_017.6 GB✗ No
Q6_K13.8 GB✓ Yes16K
Q5_K_M12.1 GB✓ Yes16K
Q4_K_M10.5 GB✓ Yes16K
Q3_K_M7.7 GB✓ Yes16K
Q2_K6.2 GB✓ Yes16K

VRAM needed assumes a 4K-token context with an f16 KV cache; “Max context” is the largest window that still fits in 16 GB of unified memory. Figures are estimates from parameter count, quantization and memory bandwidth — the analyzer lets you tune KV-cache quant and context.

StarCoder 2 Sizes That Fit the Apple M1

StarCoder 2 15BQ4_K_M · 9.358125 GB · ~4 tok/s (est.)
StarCoder 2 7BQ4_K_M · 4.347 GB · ~8 tok/s (est.)
StarCoder 2 3BQ4_K_M · 1.81125 GB · ~18 tok/s (est.)
Buy vs. rent StarCoder 2
Buy the GPU
~$999
Apple M1 · MSRP
Rent by the hour
from $0.34/hr
RTX 4090 (24 GB) class

At 2 hrs/day, buying (~$999) beats renting at $0.34/hr after about 4.1 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

Is the Apple M1 enough to run StarCoder 2 locally?

Yes, comfortably — you'll have ~6.6 GB of headroom running StarCoder 2 15B at Q4_K_M (9.358125 GB, ~4 tok/s (est.)) with room for up to 16K context.

What's the best StarCoder 2 size for the Apple M1?

StarCoder 2 15B at Q4_K_M quantization (9.358125 GB), estimated ~4 tokens/sec, up to 16K context.

StarCoder 2 on Other GPUs

Popular Models on the Apple M1

VRAM Tier

Troubleshooting

Buying Guide

← Can I Run It? | StarCoder 2 Model Page | Apple M1 GPU Page | Check Your Hardware