Question 1

Can MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB run Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Accepted Answer

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB can run Llama 3.2 3B Instruct with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 46.0 tok/s.

Question 2

How much VRAM does Llama 3.2 3B Instruct need?

Accepted Answer

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct (3B parameters) requires approximately 6.1 GB of memory with Q5_K_M quantization.

Question 3

What is the best quantization for Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Accepted Answer

The recommended quantization for Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is Q5_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	51.7 tok/s	5446 ms	66K
Chat	C	Runs well	51.7 tok/s	2042 ms	17K
Coding	C	Runs well	46.0 tok/s	4205 ms	34K
RAG	C	Runs well	51.7 tok/s	6807 ms	66K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	51.7 tok/s	4425 ms	34K

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	1.2 GB	Low	D31
Q3_K_S	3	1.5 GB	Low	D32
NVFP4	4

Can MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB run Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Memory breakdown