MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GBBudget pick
36 GB Unified (+4)150 GB/s (+30)
B
Raises estimated decode speed by about 38%.24.1 tok/s decode
Raises estimated decode speed by about 38%.
~$1,999 MSRP
Can DeepSeek R1 Distill 8B run on Mac mini M4 32GB?
YES — Runs Great
B64Good
▲Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs
DeepSeek R1 Distill 8B needs ~11.2 GB VRAM. Mac mini M4 32GB has 23.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~18 tok/s.
Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: Very lowStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory bandwidth
Share:
Operating mode
Choose the run profile you care about
Interactive favors responsiveness, while light API and scale-out lean harder on serving readiness. The fit stays the same, but the recommendation lens changes.
Current mode
Balanced
Balanced for general local use. Keeps the ranking neutral across personal and serving workflows.
Select quantization to explore
Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 11.2 GB, 17.5 tok/s, Runs well
11.2 GB required23.0 GB available
49% VRAM used
Fit status
Runs well
Decode
17.5 tok/s
TTFT
11056 ms
Safe context
33K
Memory
11.2 GB / 23.0 GB
Memory breakdown
Weights4.9 GB
KV Cache2.0 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom3.5 GB
See how fast it feels
See how fast it feelsDeepSeek R1 Distill 8B on Mac mini M4 32GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step.
Given information:
- Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour)
- Time = 2.5 hours
Formula: Distance = Speed x Time
Calculation:
Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h
= 150 miles
The train travels 150 miles.
Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time.
Breakdown:
- First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles
- Stop: 20 minutes (no distance)
- Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles
Total distance: 150 miles (same)
Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours
Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph
The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 17.5 tok/s decode · 11.1s TTFT (warm) · 44 tok/s prefill
What limits this setup
This setup is broadly balanced for this model.
Shared-memory contention still exists
The OS, browser, and inference runtime all compete for the same physical memory pool, so real-world headroom is less forgiving than raw capacity suggests.
Best improvement path
Performance by workload
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | B | Runs well | 17.7 tok/s | 5964 ms | 33K |
| Coding | B | Runs well | 17.7 tok/s | 10935 ms | 33K |
| Agentic Coding | B | Runs well | 17.7 tok/s | 15905 ms | 33K |
| Reasoning | B | Runs well | 17.7 tok/s | 12923 ms | 33K |
| RAG | B | Runs well | 17.7 tok/s | 19881 ms | 33K |
Quantization options
How DeepSeek R1 Distill 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac mini M4 32GB (23.0 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 3.1 GB | Low | B61 |
Q3_K_S | 3 | 3.9 GB | Low | B62 |
NVFP4 | 4 |
Get started
Copy-paste commands to run DeepSeek R1 Distill 8B on your machine.
Run
ollama run deepseek-r1:8bUpgrade options
Hardware that runs DeepSeek R1 Distill 8B well
MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GBBest value
36 GB Unified (+4)410 GB/s (+290)
B
Raises estimated decode speed by about 254%.62 tok/s decode
Raises estimated decode speed by about 254%.
~$2,499 MSRP
Mac Studio M2 Ultra 64GBApple upgrade
64 GB Unified (+32)800 GB/s (+680)
B
Raises estimated decode speed by about 484%.102.2 tok/s decode
Raises estimated decode speed by about 484%.
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$3,999 MSRP