Can a Mac mini M4 16GB run Qwen3-8B?
Yes. Qwen3-8B needs 8.42GB at Q6_K with llama.cpp and 8K context; the Mac mini M4 16GB has 16GB of unified memory (~75% GPU-addressable) (11.5GB usable) — grade B, with decode speed in the usable tier.
Mac mini M4 16GB · Qwen3-8B · Q6_K
✅ Fits — grade B
Usable
weights 6.73 GBKV cache 1.21 GBoverhead 0.48 GBpool 11.5 GBneeds 8.42 GB
assumes llama.cpp · batch 1 · 8K context · fp16 KV cache
$799 MSRP · as of 2026-07-11
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Every quant, graded
Mac mini M4 16GB × Qwen3-8B, llama.cpp, 8K context.
| Quant | File size | Fit | Speed tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q8_0 | 8.7 GB | Tight · C | painful |
| Q6_K | 6.7 GB | Fits · B | usable |
| Q5_K_M | 5.8 GB | Fits · A+ | usable |
| Q4_K_M | 5.0 GB | Fits · A+ | usable |
Qwen3-8B on similar hardware
Verdict computed from published specs and measured GGUF file sizes — see how the math works.