Learn · 2026-08-17
What your machine can honestly hold
The right model is the one that fits the memory in front of you. Here is the short version we use in every plan.
Read the number in About This Mac
On a Mac it is unified memory. On a PC it is RAM plus, if you have one, the memory on the NVIDIA card. Use the lower honest figure if you are unsure.
8 GB → 1–3B. 16 GB → about 12B at 4-bit. 32 GB → a 26B dense model or a larger mixture-of-experts. 64 GB → more context, not magic.
Leave several gigabytes free. A model that fills the machine will swap, heat, and disappoint you.
We will say no
If you ask for a 70-billion-parameter model on 16 GB, the plan will say no. That is accompaniment. A yes that does not run is not kindness.