Apple M4 Pro — Local LLM Performance & Compatibility

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026

24–48 GB unified memory covers most everyday AI tasks. 30W total system power. Ideal for laptop users who want serious AI without a desktop GPU.

Technical Specifications

VRAM24 GB unified memory
Memory Bandwidth273 GB/s
TDP30 W
ArchitectureARM, 3nm TSMC
Release Year2024
MSRP at Launch$1,999
Inference Speed (Llama 3.1 8B Q4_K_M)17–35 tok/s (estimated)
Inference Speed (Llama 3.3 70B Q4_K_M)Does not fit — needs ~44 GB of 18 GB usable
Buy This HardwareApple Mac Mini M4 Pro — 24 GB VRAM · 30 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 M4 Pro
24 GB VRAM · 30 W board power
2026 prices are volatile — check the current listing.
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LLMs Compatible with 24 GB Unified Memory

All models below run comfortably in 24 GB unified memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

Llama 3.1 FamilyLlama 3.1 8B Instruct · 6 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run llama3.1
Llama 3.2 FamilyLlama 3.2 11B Vision Instruct · 7 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · llama-3-2
Qwen 3Qwen 3 32B · 21 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run qwen3:32b
Gemma 3Gemma 3 27B Instruct · 17 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run gemma3:27b
Phi-4 MiniPhi-4 Mini (3.8B) · 3 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run phi4-mini
Mistral FamilyMistral Small 3 (24B) · 15 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run mistral-small
DeepSeek R1DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B · 20 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · ollama run deepseek-r1:32b

Best Use Cases

Quick Start with Ollama

Install Ollama then run the recommended model for this GPU:

ollama run qwen3:14b

FAQ

Can the Apple M4 Pro run local LLMs?

Yes — the Apple M4 Pro has 24 GB unified memory and runs 24–48 GB unified memory covers most everyday AI tasks. 30W total system power. Ideal for laptop users who want serious A

How fast is the Apple M4 Pro for AI inference?

The Apple M4 Pro is estimated to run Llama 3.1 8B at 17–35 tok/s with Q4_K_M quantization. Llama 3.3 70B does not fit: it needs about 44 GB against 18 GB usable. These are modelled estimates, not measurements — see /en/methodology.

What LLMs can I run on 24 GB VRAM?

With 24 GB you can run: Llama 3.1 Family, Llama 3.2 Family, Qwen 3, Gemma 3, Phi-4 Mini. Use Ollama for the easiest setup: ollama run qwen3:14b.

Can I Run It? — Apple M4 Pro

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