How much VRAM does Qwen3.5 9B need?

Qwen3.5 9B (9B parameters) requires approximately 10.7 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 Air M3 24GB can run Qwen3.5 9B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 12.4 tok/s.

CUsable

Runs well

Using Q4_K_M in Ollama

Capabilities:

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

12.4 tok/s

TTFT

15630 ms

Safe context

26K

Memory

10.7 GB / 17.3 GB

Weights5.5 GB

KV Cache1.4 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom2.6 GB

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	11.8 tok/s	23784 ms	46K
Chat	C	Runs well	12.4 tok/s	8526 ms	14K
Coding	C	Runs well	12.4 tok/s	15630 ms	26K
RAG	C	Runs well	12.4 tok/s	28419 ms	46K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	12.4 tok/s	18472 ms	26K

How Qwen3.5 9B (9B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Air M3 24GB (17.3 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.5 GB	Low	D34
Q3_K_S	3	4.4 GB	Low	D35
NVFP4	4

HuggingFace

huggingface-cli download hf-unsloth--qwen3-5-9b-gguf

Upgrade options

RX 7900 XT 20GBBudget pick

C87.4 tok/s decode

~$899 MSRP

RX 7900 XTX 24GBBest value

C125.9 tok/s decode

~$999 MSRP