GoogleGemma 3 4B on Apple M4 (16GB Unified)
Yes — M4 (16GB Unified) handles Gemma 3 4B well at Q5_K_M — 19 tok/s. Solid daily-driver performance on 16 GB VRAM.
Model Size
4.3B
Device VRAM
16 GB
Bandwidth
120 GB/s
Quantization
Q5_K_M
Performance by Quantization
OwnRig currently has one published compatibility entry for Gemma 3 4B on Apple M4 (16GB Unified) at Q5_K_M. This is the best supported pairing we can stand behind today.
| Quantization | Speed | TTFT | Fits in VRAM | Rating | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q5_K_M | 19 tok/s | 360ms | ✓ Yes | Good | estimated |
Notes
Q5_K_M
M4 base chip: ~0.5x M4 Pro performance due to lower memory bandwidth.
About Gemma 3 4B
Gemma 3 4B (4.3B) is a chat, coding model. Compact Gemma 3 model for chat and light coding on low-VRAM hardware.
View all Gemma 3 4B hardware options →About Apple M4 (16GB Unified)
Apple M4 (16GB Unified) has 16 GB at 120 GB/s. Available in Mac Mini, MacBook Pro 14", MacBook Air 13", MacBook Air 15", iPad Pro.
See all models Apple M4 (16GB Unified) can run →Estimate method: Estimated from M4 Pro benchmarks scaled by memory bandwidth ratio (120/273 GB/s). Reference hardware source: github.com (2026-03-14)
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.