Can a MacBook Pro M3 Max (36GB) run Qwen3.8 27B?

Yes — Qwen3.8 27B runs at Q3_K_M (13.4 GB) at about 14–20 tok/s on a MacBook Pro M3 Max (36GB).

How much memory does Qwen3.8 27B need?

Qwen3.8 27B needs about 11.9 GB at 4K context at its smallest quantization. A MacBook Pro M3 Max (36GB) has 36.0 GB.

Yes — Qwen3.8 27B runs on a MacBook Pro M3 Max (36GB) at Q3_K_M

Yes — it runs great.

Runs great

Best fit: Qwen3.8 27B at Q3_K_M · 13.4 GB weights · 14–20 tok/s on a MacBook Pro M3 Max (36GB).

Arena Text Overall · style-controlled

1,438Q3_K_M untested

qwen3.8-27b · published configuration reference · Q3_K_M not tested

Arena Text Overall (style-controlled), exact published entry qwen3.8-27b, 2026-10-08: reference rating 1,438.1. Published confidence bounds 1,432.8–1,443.4. 20,711 votes. Published qwen3.8-27b configuration reference. Reasoning mode is not disclosed by the Arena dataset. Tested precision, runtime and sampling settings are not disclosed in this dataset. Selected Q3_K_M has not been measured by this Arena entry. No quantization quality adjustment is applied.

Snapshot published 2026-10-08 · snapshot imported 2026-10-11 UTC · validated last-good data · manual refresh

Arena leaderboard dataset · Arena / lmarena-ai, Arena Leaderboard Dataset (CC BY 4.0). Selected Text Overall style-controlled rows; field names adapted, ratings unchanged. · dataset CC BY 4.0 · revision e16f90232986

Total memory at 4K context: 14.5 GB; Weights + KV cache + runtime overhead
Estimated generation: 14–20 tok/s
Estimated first token: ~23s

Every quantization on this machine

On small screens, each quant lists every metric below its name. On wider screens, scroll sideways for total memory, speed and fit. Keyboard: focus the table, then use the arrow keys. Quant names stay visible.

Qwen3.8 27B quantizations on MacBook Pro M3 Max (36GB), estimated at 4K context. Weights and total memory are shown separately.
Quant	Weights	Total memory	Speed	Fit
Q2_K	10.8 GB	11.9 GB	16–25 tok/s	Runs great
Q3_K_M	13.4 GB	14.5 GB	14–20 tok/s	Runs great
Q4_K_M	17.4 GB	18.5 GB	11–16 tok/s	Tight / slow
Q5_K_M	20.9 GB	22.0 GB	9–14 tok/s	Tight / slow
Q6_K	23.9 GB	24.9 GB	8–12 tok/s	Tight / slow
Q8_0	29.1 GB	30.2 GB	— not resident	Won't fit
FP16	54.7 GB	55.7 GB	— not resident	Won't fit

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