Can StarCoder2 7B run on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB?

YES — Runs Great

C46Usable

○Estimated from fit model

StarCoder2 7B needs ~10.8 GB VRAM. MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB has 34.6 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~61 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) — 10.8 GB, 61.4 tok/s, Runs well

10.8 GB required34.6 GB available

31% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

61.4 tok/s

TTFT

3155 ms

Safe context

16K

Memory

10.8 GB / 34.6 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights4.3 GB

KV Cache0.5 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom5.2 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsStarCoder2 7B on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB
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: 61.4 tok/s decode · 3.2s TTFT (warm) · 153 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	61.4 tok/s	1721 ms	16K
Coding	C	Runs well	61.4 tok/s	3155 ms	16K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	61.4 tok/s	4589 ms	16K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	61.4 tok/s	3729 ms	16K
RAG	C	Runs well	61.4 tok/s	5737 ms	16K

Quantization options

How StarCoder2 7B (7B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 48GB (34.6 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	2.7 GB	Low	C42
Q3_K_S	3	3.4 GB	Low	C42
NVFP4	4	3.9 GB	Medium	C42
Q4_K_M	4	4.3 GB	Medium	C42
Q5_K_M	5	5.0 GB	High	C42
Q6_K	6	5.7 GB	High	C43
Q8_0	8	7.5 GB	Very High	C43
F16Best for your GPU	16	14.3 GB	Maximum	C46