456 GB/s (+336)
C
Raises estimated decode speed by about 175%.44.9 tok/s decode
Raises estimated decode speed by about 175%.
~$249 MSRP
Can DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B run on MacBook Pro M4 16GB?
YES — Runs Great
C52Usable
▲Estimated — low-sample bucket· few comparable runs
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B needs ~8.4 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M4 16GB has 11.5 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~16 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) — 8.4 GB, 16.3 tok/s, Runs well
8.4 GB required11.5 GB available
73% VRAM used
Fit status
Runs well
Decode
16.3 tok/s
TTFT
11886 ms
Safe context
68K
Memory
8.4 GB / 11.5 GB
Memory breakdown
Weights4.9 GB
KV Cache0.9 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom1.7 GB
See how fast it feels
See how fast it feelsDeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on MacBook Pro M4 16GB
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: 16.3 tok/s decode · 11.9s TTFT (warm) · 41 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 | 16.3 tok/s | 6483 ms | 68K |
| Coding | C | Runs well | 16.3 tok/s | 11886 ms | 68K |
| Agentic Coding | C | Runs well | 16.3 tok/s | 17288 ms | 68K |
| Reasoning | C | Runs well | 16.3 tok/s | 14047 ms | 68K |
| RAG | C | Runs well | 16.3 tok/s | 21610 ms | 68K |
Quantization options
How DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M4 16GB (11.5 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 3.1 GB | Low | C50 |
Q3_K_S | 3 | 3.9 GB | Low | C51 |
NVFP4 | 4 |
Get started
Copy-paste commands to run DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on your machine.
Run
lms load hf-unsloth--deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b-gguf && lms server startUpgrade options