Can granite 8b code instruct 4k run on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB?

YES — Runs Great

C46Usable

○Estimated from fit model

granite 8b code instruct 4k needs ~34.4 GB VRAM. Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB has 184.3 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~112 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: HighStack: 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) — 34.4 GB, 112.0 tok/s, Runs well

34.4 GB required184.3 GB available

19% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

112.0 tok/s

TTFT

1729 ms

Safe context

2.6M

Memory

34.4 GB / 184.3 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights4.9 GB

KV Cache0.9 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom27.6 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsgranite 8b code instruct 4k on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB
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: 112.0 tok/s decode · 1.7s TTFT (warm) · 280 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	C	Runs well	112.0 tok/s	943 ms	2.6M
Coding	C	Runs well	112.0 tok/s	1729 ms	2.6M
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	112.0 tok/s	2514 ms	2.6M
Reasoning	C	Runs well	112.0 tok/s	2043 ms	2.6M
RAG	C	Runs well	112.0 tok/s	3143 ms	2.6M

Quantization options

How granite 8b code instruct 4k (8B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB (184.3 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.1 GB	Low	D37
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	D37
NVFP4	4	4.5 GB	Medium	D37
Q4_K_M	4	4.9 GB	Medium	D37
Q5_K_M	5	5.8 GB	High	D37
Q6_K	6	6.6 GB	High	D37
Q8_0	8	8.6 GB	Very High	D37
F16Best for your GPU	16	16.4 GB	Maximum	D37

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run granite 8b code instruct 4k on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-ibm-granite--granite-8b-code-instruct-4k-gguf && lms server start

Frequently asked questions

See all results for Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB See all hardware for granite 8b code instruct 4k

URL: https://willitrunai.com/can-run/hf-ibm-granite--granite-8b-code-instruct-4k-gguf-on-m3-ultra-256gb

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