Local coding on Apple silicon, 64–128 GB
The tested setup is mlx-dspark/qwen3-8b-8bit on mlx-dspark: 8-bit weights, a 32,768-token context, and a 9.7 GB download. On an M4 Max with 128 GB, the probe took 123.6 s cold and 125.4 s warm. The catalog lists 64–128 GB for this class, but only the 128 GB machine was tested.
Run it
Install the CLI. Start this exact setup. Open the harness. The first pull creates a free handle.
An explicit setup runs on the OS its catalog entry declares, after that entry's RAM, VRAM, and driver checks. The no-arg bootstrap is macOS on Apple silicon only.
curl -fsSL https://oloop.run/install.sh | sh
oloop host start --setup apple-silicon-64-128@1.5.2
oloop host openWhy this setup on Apple silicon
mlx-dspark/qwen3-8b-8bit runs on mlx-dspark, which uses Apple's MLX framework. MLX draws on unified memory, so the model and the harness share one pool instead of a separate card. At 8-bit the weights take 9 GB of that pool, and the download is 9.7 GB.
The measured peak was 9.69 GB on a 128 GB machine. A 64 GB machine would fit the same weights, and no run confirms it: the 64 GB half of this class has no passing record.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| OS / arch | darwin / arm64 |
| Memory kind | unified |
| Host | mlx-dspark@0.17.0 |
| Harness | opencode@1.18.21 |
| Model | mlx-dspark/qwen3-8b-8bit |
| Model revision | mlx-community/Qwen3-8B-8bit@48a0b75b1ae72503e21e1558d040bc227510ff06 |
| Quantization | 8bit |
| Context window | 32,768 tokens |
| Download | 9.7 GB |
Source: /setups/evidence/apple-silicon-64-128@1.5.2.json (qualified 2026-10-05, engine 0.1.0).
Measured results
The timer measures one probe. The prompt asks for the word OK in answer.txt, and the run is capped at 3 turns. Cold is the first run, which starts the host and loads the model; warm repeats the same probe on the same machine. It is not coding throughput and not a tokens-per-second figure.
The two runs landed 1.8 s apart. At this size the gap is noise, not a speed result.
| Run | Cold | Warm | Peak RAM | Peak VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Probe | 123.6 s | 125.4 s | 9.69 GB | none (no discrete GPU) |
Measured on Apple M4 Max, 128 GB unified memory (macOS/arm64) on 2026-10-05. Source: /setups/evidence/apple-silicon-64-128@1.5.2.json.
Tested on, listed for
Tested on: Apple M4 Max, 128 GB unified memory (macOS/arm64).
Listed for: macOS arm64, 64–128 GB unified memory.
The catalog lists a range, and the record covers one machine in it. The times and memory numbers belong to that machine.
What the run proves
One pinned setup passed one probe on the stated hardware and date, using the checksummed bundle from the catalog.
- The run is not a security review. It checks the named file; it does not audit the model, the harness, or their permissions.
- A pass is not a quality score. It means the configured check passed, not that every answer is correct.
- The model license belongs to the model publisher. Read it before you ship the output.
- The bundle is pinned to one version. A newer catalog version is a different record.
Questions
Will this run on a 64 GB Mac?
The catalog lists this class for 64–128 GB, and the record is from a 128 GB M4 Max. We have not measured a 64 GB machine, so we do not carry its times or its memory peak across.
Can I run a larger model on the same machine?
Not from this record. It covers one 8B model at 8-bit; a 27B model needs more memory and a longer download, and we have not qualified one for this class.
Why 8-bit and not 4-bit?
The catalog pins one quantization per setup, so every number here describes 8-bit. A 4-bit build would use less memory, and we have not measured one for this class.
What does the first run need?
9.7 GB for the model download, a POSIX shell, and Node.js 20 or newer. The installed components live under one root you choose.
Do I need a handle to run it?
Not for a local manifest. A handle is needed to publish, and to pull a bundle from the Hub. The setup flow creates one on first use.
Related
Evidence
The record for apple-silicon-64-128@1.5.2 is where every number comes from: the hardware, the timings, the peaks, and the date.