Apple M3 — Local LLM Performance & Compatibility

Name: LLM Configurator — GPU VRAM Checker
Author: LLM Configurator

作者： Jakub Rusinowski · 最后更新： 2026年7月12日

Up to 24 GB unified memory at 100 GB/s — same memory ceiling as M2 but on the 3nm process. Fits 7–8B models at Q4 comfortably. Common in the MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini.

Technical Specifications

VRAM	24 GB unified memory
Memory Bandwidth	100 GB/s
TDP	22 W
Architecture	ARM, 3nm TSMC
Release Year	2023
MSRP at Launch	$1,099
Inference Speed (Llama 3.1 8B Q4_K_M)	6.4–13 tok/s (estimated)
Inference Speed (Llama 3.3 70B Q4_K_M)	Does not fit — needs ~44 GB of 18 GB usable

购买此硬件 Apple MacBook Air M3 — 24 GB VRAM · 22 W board power 立即云端部署 RunPod 上的 RTX 4090 — 低至 $0.34/小时 · 价格核实于 2026-07

或在 Vast.ai 比较，低至 $0.35/小时 (typical low · varies)

作为亚马逊联盟成员，我们从符合条件的购买中获得收入。云 GPU 链接为推荐链接——我们可能获得佣金，您无需额外付费。

联盟营销声明: 本页部分链接为联盟推广链接——如果你通过它们购买，LLM Configurator 可能会获得佣金，而你无需支付任何额外费用。作为亚马逊联盟成员（Amazon Associate），LLM Configurator 会从符合条件的购买中获得收益。

Apple MacBook Air M3

24 GB VRAM · 22 W board power

2026年价格波动较大——请以当前商品页价格为准。

在亚马逊查看价格

LLMs Compatible with 24 GB Unified Memory

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

Command R Family	Command R (35B) · 22 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run command-r`
Qwen 3.5	Qwen 3.5 35B-A3B · 22 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run qwen3.5:35b-a3b`
Qwen 3.6	Qwen 3.6 35B-A3B · 22 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run qwen3.6:35b-a3b`
Nex-N2	Nex-N2 mini · 22 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · nex-n2
Yi 1.5 Family	Yi 1.5 34B Chat · 22 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run yi:34b`
Qwen 3	Qwen 3 32B · 21 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run qwen3:32b`
Aya Expanse	Aya Expanse 32B · 20 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run aya-expanse:32b`
DeepSeek R1	DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B · 20 GB VRAM · Q4_K_M · `ollama run deepseek-r1:32b`

56 more families also fit 24 GB — browse the full model library.

Best Use Cases

8B models (Q4)
MacBook Air
iMac
entry-level

Quick Start with Ollama

Install Ollama then run the recommended model for this GPU:

ollama run llama3.2:3b

FAQ

Can the Apple M3 run local LLMs?

Yes — the Apple M3 has 24 GB unified memory and runs Up to 24 GB unified memory at 100 GB/s — same memory ceiling as M2 but on the 3nm process. Fits 7–8B models at Q4 comfor

How fast is the Apple M3 for AI inference?

The Apple M3 is estimated to run Llama 3.1 8B at 6.4–13 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: Command R Family, Qwen 3.5, Qwen 3.6, Nex-N2, Yi 1.5 Family. Use Ollama for the easiest setup: ollama run llama3.2:3b.

Can I Run It? — Apple M3

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VRAM Tier

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Buying Guide

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