How much VRAM does Qwen3.5 9B need?

Qwen3.5 9B (9B parameters) requires approximately 10.0 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen3.5 9B?

The recommended quantization for Qwen3.5 9B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

Can it run?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB can run Qwen3.5 9B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 17.8 tok/s.

CUsable

Runs well

Using Q4_K_M in Ollama

Capabilities:

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

17.8 tok/s

TTFT

10901 ms

Safe context

21K

Memory

10.0 GB / 13.0 GB

Weights5.5 GB

KV Cache1.4 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom1.9 GB

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Agentic Coding	C	Tight fit	19.9 tok/s	14119 ms	36K
Chat	C	Runs well	19.9 tok/s	5294 ms	11K
Coding	C	Runs well	17.8 tok/s	10901 ms	21K
RAG	C	Tight fit	19.9 tok/s	17648 ms	36K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	19.9 tok/s	11471 ms	21K

How Qwen3.5 9B (9B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Pro 18GB (13.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.5 GB	Low	D35
Q3_K_S	3	4.4 GB	Low	D37
NVFP4	4

HuggingFace

huggingface-cli download hf-lmstudio-community--qwen3-5-9b-gguf

Upgrade options

Intel Arc A770 16GBBudget pick

C45.9 tok/s decode

~$349 MSRP

RX 9070 16GBBest value

C72.3 tok/s decode

~$479 MSRP

RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GBBiggest leap

B97.9 tok/s decode

~$799 MSRP