How much VRAM does Qwen 2.5 72B need?

Qwen 2.5 72B (72B parameters) requires approximately 63.3 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen 2.5 72B?

The recommended quantization for Qwen 2.5 72B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

Can it run?

No, Qwen 2.5 72B requires more memory than MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB provides.

FWon't run

Too heavy

Using Q4_K_M in Ollama

Capabilities:

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

5.9 tok/s

TTFT

32704 ms

Safe context

12K

Memory

63.3 GB / 46.1 GB

Weights43.9 GB

KV Cache11.3 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom6.9 GB

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	5.9 tok/s	47569 ms	20K
Chat	F	Too heavy	5.9 tok/s	17838 ms	6K
Coding	F	Too heavy	5.9 tok/s	32704 ms	12K
RAG	F	Too heavy	5.9 tok/s	59461 ms	20K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	5.9 tok/s	38650 ms	12K

How Qwen 2.5 72B (72B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 64GB (46.1 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_KBest for your GPU	2	28.1 GB	Low	C43
Q3_K_S	3	35.3 GB	Low	C45

Upgrade options

MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GBBudget pick

C5.5 tok/s decode

~$2,499 MSRP

MacBook Pro M4 Max 96GBBest value

C7.8 tok/s decode

~$2,499 MSRP