MacBook Pro M3 Pro 36GBBudget pick
36 GB Unified (+12)
C
This setup is broadly balanced for this model.42 tok/s decode
~$1,999 MSRP
Can StarCoder2 3B run on RX 7900 XTX 24GB?
YES — Runs Great
C44Usable
○Estimated from fit model
StarCoder2 3B needs ~5.5 GB VRAM. RX 7900 XTX 24GB has 24.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~42 tok/s.
Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: HighStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced
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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) — 5.5 GB, 42.0 tok/s, Runs well
5.5 GB required24.0 GB available
23% VRAM used
Fit status
Runs well
Decode
42.0 tok/s
TTFT
4610 ms
Safe context
859K
Memory
5.5 GB / 24.0 GB
Memory breakdown
Weights1.8 GB
KV Cache0.4 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom2.4 GB
See how fast it feels
See how fast it feelsStarCoder2 3B on RX 7900 XTX 24GB
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.
No major red flags
This recommendation has enough memory headroom and acceptable estimated speed for the selected workload.
Best improvement path
Performance by workload
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | C | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 2514 ms | 859K |
| Coding | C | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 4610 ms | 859K |
| Agentic Coding | C | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 6705 ms | 859K |
| Reasoning | C | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 5448 ms | 859K |
| RAG | C | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 8381 ms | 859K |
Quantization options
How StarCoder2 3B (3B params) fits at each quantization level on RX 7900 XTX 24GB (24.0 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 | C44 |
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 startUpgrade options
