Can StarCoder2 3B run on Mac mini M4 32GB?

YES — Runs Great

C45Usable

▲Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs

StarCoder2 3B needs ~6.5 GB VRAM. Mac mini M4 32GB has 23.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~42 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: Very lowStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory bandwidth

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) — 6.5 GB, 42.0 tok/s, Runs well

6.5 GB required23.0 GB available

28% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

42.0 tok/s

TTFT

4610 ms

Safe context

767K

Memory

6.5 GB / 23.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights1.8 GB

KV Cache0.4 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom3.5 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsStarCoder2 3B on Mac mini M4 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: 42.0 tok/s decode · 4.6s TTFT (warm) · 105 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	42.0 tok/s	2514 ms	767K
Coding	C	Runs well	42.0 tok/s	4610 ms	767K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	42.0 tok/s	6705 ms	767K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	42.0 tok/s	5448 ms	767K
RAG	C	Runs well	42.0 tok/s	8381 ms	767K

Quantization options

How StarCoder2 3B (3B params) fits at each quantization level on Mac mini M4 32GB (23.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	1.2 GB	Low	C44
Q3_K_S	3	1.5 GB	Low	C44
NVFP4	4	1.7 GB	Medium	C44
Q4_K_M	4	1.8 GB	Medium	C44
Q5_K_M	5	2.2 GB	High	C44
Q6_K	6	2.5 GB	High	C44
Q8_0	8	3.2 GB	Very High	C45
F16Best for your GPU	16	6.1 GB	Maximum	C46

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run StarCoder2 3B on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-second-state--starcoder2-3b-gguf && lms server start

Frequently asked questions

See all results for Mac mini M4 32GB See all hardware for StarCoder2 3B

URL: https://willitrunai.com/can-run/hf-second-state--starcoder2-3b-gguf-on-m4-mini-32gb