M4 Pro with 48GB Memory for Local Coding Models?

Matthew Diakonov··2 min read

M4 Pro with 48GB Memory for Local Coding Models?

The M4 Pro with 48GB unified memory hits a sweet spot for running local AI models. You can fit a 70B parameter model at Q4 quantization entirely in memory, which means no swapping and decent inference speeds.

What 48GB Gets You

  • 70B Q4 models - Llama 3 70B, DeepSeek Coder 33B, CodeLlama 70B all fit comfortably
  • Inference speed - around 10-15 tokens per second for 70B models, enough for real-time coding assistance
  • No GPU needed - Apple's unified memory architecture means the CPU and GPU share the same memory pool
  • Zero network latency - everything runs on your machine

When Local Makes Sense

Local models are not always better than cloud APIs. They make sense for:

  • Privacy-sensitive work - client code, proprietary algorithms, personal data processing. Nothing leaves your machine.
  • Overnight batch processing - let the model churn through code reviews, documentation generation, or test writing while you sleep. No API costs.
  • Offline development - working on planes, in areas with poor connectivity, or behind strict firewalls
  • Experimentation - try different models, prompts, and configurations without worrying about API budgets

When Cloud Is Still Better

Cloud models win for:

  • Peak capability - the best cloud models still outperform the best local models
  • Speed - cloud inference on dedicated hardware is faster than local
  • Multi-user - if your team needs the same model, one cloud endpoint is simpler than configuring every machine

The Practical Setup

Run Ollama on your M4 Pro for local inference. Use it as a fallback when you are offline or working with sensitive code. Keep a cloud API key for tasks that need the most capable model. This hybrid approach gives you the best of both worlds.

Fazm is an open source macOS AI agent. Open source on GitHub.

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