Can the Apple M3 run Gemma 3 27B?
No. Gemma 3 27B needs about 19 GB and the Apple M3 has at most 24 GB of unified memory, of which about 16 GB is usable for models. The most capable model it runs well is Qwen3 4B, at about 22 tok/s.
Gemma 3 27B needsAbout 19 GB
Apple M3 has8 or 16 or 24 GB unified memory
Bandwidth100 GB/s
Estimated speedDoesn't fit
By memory size
Each Apple M3 version
- 8 GB (about 5 GB usable)Too big
- 16 GB (about 11 GB usable)Too big
- 24 GB (about 16 GB usable)Too big
What runs Gemma 3 27B
These cards have the memory for it, nearest to the Apple M3 first. The cheapest build on our list that runs it well is the Used workstation + 2× Tesla P100, from $750 used, at about 24 tok/s.
How we estimate
Speed is roughly memory bandwidth divided by the weights read per token, calibrated on our own rack. Sizes are Ollama's default 4-bit downloads plus about 1.2 GB for context. Real results are usually within about a third. Measured it yourself? Send us the number.
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