Question 1

Can MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16GB run Meta Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Accepted Answer

Yes, MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16GB can run Meta Llama 3.1 8B Instruct with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 26.6 tok/s.

Question 2

How much VRAM does Meta Llama 3.1 8B Instruct need?

Accepted Answer

Meta Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (8B parameters) requires approximately 9.1 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

Question 3

What is the best quantization for Meta Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Accepted Answer

The recommended quantization for Meta Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Agentic Coding	C	Tight fit	26.6 tok/s	10571 ms	36K
Chat	C	Runs well	26.6 tok/s	3964 ms	11K
Coding	C	Runs well	26.6 tok/s	7267 ms	20K
RAG	C	Tight fit	26.6 tok/s	13214 ms	36K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	26.6 tok/s	8589 ms	20K

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.1 GB	Low	D35
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	D37
NVFP4	4

Can MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16GB run Meta Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Memory breakdown