GoogleGemma 3 27B on Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified)
M3 Pro (18GB Unified) runs Gemma 3 27B at Q3_K_M — 3 tok/s due to limited memory bandwidth. Slow but functional — see all options below.
Model Size
27.23B
Device VRAM
18 GB
Bandwidth
150 GB/s
Quantization
Q3_K_M
Performance by Quantization
OwnRig currently has one published compatibility entry for Gemma 3 27B on Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified) at Q3_K_M. This is the best supported pairing we can stand behind today.
| Quantization | Speed | TTFT | Fits in VRAM | Rating | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3_K_M | 3 tok/s | 2200ms | ✓ Yes | Marginal | estimated |
Notes
Q3_K_M
Q3 13.3GB barely fits in 14GB effective. 3 tok/s. Marginal usability.
About Gemma 3 27B
Gemma 3 27B (27.23B) is a chat, coding, reasoning, multi-purpose model. Google's largest open-weight model before Gemma 4. Capable reasoning and instruction following. At 27B parameters, it sits between 8B models (too limited) and 70B models (too expensive). Wide multilingual support. Fits on 24 GB GPUs at Q4.
View all Gemma 3 27B hardware options →About Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified)
Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified) has 18 GB at 150 GB/s. Available in MacBook Pro 14", MacBook Pro 16".
See all models Apple M3 Pro (18GB Unified) can run →Estimate method: MLX performance estimates. Reference hardware source: github.com (2026-03-15)
Performance varies by driver version, inference engine, quantization method, context length, and system configuration. Figures shown are estimates based on community benchmarks and may not reflect your exact setup. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. OwnRig is independent and not affiliated with any hardware or AI model provider.