Can Granite Code 8B run on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB?

YES — Runs Great

A76Great

○Estimated from fit model

Granite Code 8B needs ~11.2 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB has 23.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~51 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: LowStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced

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.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 11.2 GB, 51.1 tok/s, Runs well

11.2 GB required23.0 GB available

49% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

51.1 tok/s

TTFT

3788 ms

Safe context

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 feelsGranite Code 8B on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Write a Python function to sort a list
Here's a Python function that sorts a list using quicksort:

def quicksort(arr):
 if len(arr) <= 1:
 return arr
 pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
 left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
 middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
 right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
 return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

# Example usage
numbers = [3, 6, 8, 10, 1, 2, 1]
print(quicksort(numbers)) # [1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10]

The algorithm picks a pivot, partitions the list into smaller, equal, and larger elements, then recursively sorts each partition and concatenates the results.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>Now add type hints and a docstring
def quicksort(arr: list[int]) -> list[int]:
 """Sort a list using the quicksort algorithm.

 Args:
 arr: List of integers to sort.

 Returns:
 A new sorted list.
 """
 if len(arr) <= 1:
 return arr
 pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
 left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
 middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
 right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
 return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

Added type hints for the input and return type, plus a Google-style docstring.
Estimated: 51.1 tok/s decode · 3.8s TTFT (warm) · 128 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	A	Runs well	51.1 tok/s	2066 ms	8K
Coding	A	Runs well	51.1 tok/s	3788 ms	8K
Agentic Coding	A	Runs well	51.1 tok/s	5510 ms	8K
Reasoning	A	Runs well	51.1 tok/s	4477 ms	8K
RAG	A	Runs well	51.1 tok/s	6888 ms	8K

Quantization options

How Granite Code 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB (23.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.1 GB	Low	B70
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	A70
NVFP4	4	4.5 GB	Medium	A71
Q4_K_M	4	4.9 GB	Medium	A71
Q5_K_M	5	5.8 GB	High	A71
Q6_K	6	6.6 GB	High	A72
Q8_0	8	8.6 GB	Very High	A73
F16Best for your GPU	16	16.4 GB	Maximum	A75

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Granite Code 8B on your machine.

Run

ollama run granite-code:8b

Your hardware

More models your MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode
👁 Alibaba Qwen3-Coder 30B A3B Instruct	30.5B	A	31.5 tok/s
👁 Alibaba Qwen 3.5 27B	27B	S	14.1 tok/s
👁 Alibaba Qwen 3.6 27B	27B	S	11.6 tok/s
👁 Alibaba Qwen3-VL 30B A3B Instruct	30B	S	33.3 tok/s
👁 Alibaba Qwen 3.5 9B	9B	S	45.4 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

See all results for MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB See all hardware for Granite Code 8B

URL: https://willitrunai.com/can-run/granite-code-8b-on-m2-max-32gb

⇱ Granite Code 8B on MacBook Pro M2 Max 32GB? YES