Compatibility route: FitCompatibility route

Which Macs run Qwen3.6-27B?

Current lens: Coding. Rank Macs by cheapest viable, while keeping throughput, fit, local cost, and evidence on the same sheet.

Fit is no longer a separate destination. It is an inspection layer attached to each result row.

Snapshot

Top Mac: Mac Mini M4 24GB

26 viable rows · 2 benchmark-backed · 16.6 tok/s at Q5_K_M.

Rows
432
Models
55
Macs
29
Benchmark-backed
2

Catalog current through April 22, 2026. Benchmark evidence through April 27, 2026.

Query setup

Audit evidence

Choose a target model first, then narrow by lens, quant target, runtime, and portability.

Results

Mac matches for Qwen3.6-27B

Sorted by cheapest viable · 26 viable rows · 2 benchmark-backed

Viable rows
26
Benchmark-backed rows
2
#1EstimatedLow confidence

Mac Mini M4 24GB

M4 · 24GB unified memory · $599 · Desktop

Output16.6 tok/s
Prompt114.5 tok/s
QuantQ5_K_M
RuntimeOllama
Headroom2.8 GB
Context11k
Local cost$3.87
Detail Open

Capability

27B dense · tuned for coding

Evidence

Estimated from nearby benchmark coverage, not a direct match Speed is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage rather than this exact machine-and-quant match. Best runtime hint: Ollama.

Coverage

No direct benchmark rows yet

Speed is estimated, so this cost read is provisional.

Quant ladder and fit detail
QuantQualityHeadroomContextSpeedRuntimeEvidence
Q5_K_M High quality2.8 GB11k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q4_K_M Balanced quality6.5 GB27k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
#2EstimatedLow confidence

Mac Mini M4 32GB

M4 · 32GB unified memory · $799 · Desktop

Output16.6 tok/s
Prompt114.5 tok/s
QuantQ8_0
RuntimeOllama
Headroom3.0 GB
Context12k
Local cost$5.14
Detail Open

Capability

27B dense · tuned for coding

Evidence

Estimated from nearby benchmark coverage, not a direct match Speed is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage rather than this exact machine-and-quant match. Best runtime hint: Ollama.

Coverage

No direct benchmark rows yet

Speed is estimated, so this cost read is provisional.

Quant ladder and fit detail
QuantQualityHeadroomContextSpeedRuntimeEvidence
Q8_0 Reference quality3.0 GB12k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q6_K High quality7.9 GB32k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q5_K_M High quality10.8 GB44k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q4_K_M Balanced quality14.5 GB60k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
#3EstimatedLow confidence

MacBook Air M4 24GB 13-inch

M4 · 24GB unified memory · $1,299 · Ultra-portable

Output16.6 tok/s
Prompt114.5 tok/s
QuantQ5_K_M
RuntimeOllama
Headroom2.8 GB
Context11k
Local cost$8.33
Detail Open

Capability

27B dense · tuned for coding

Evidence

Estimated from nearby benchmark coverage, not a direct match Speed is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage rather than this exact machine-and-quant match. Best runtime hint: Ollama.

Coverage

No direct benchmark rows yet

Speed is estimated, so this cost read is provisional.

Quant ladder and fit detail
QuantQualityHeadroomContextSpeedRuntimeEvidence
Q5_K_M High quality2.8 GB11k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q4_K_M Balanced quality6.5 GB27k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
#4EstimatedLow confidence

Mac Mini M4 Pro 24GB

M4-PRO · 24GB unified memory · $1,399 · Desktop

Output16.6 tok/s
Prompt114.5 tok/s
QuantQ5_K_M
RuntimeOllama
Headroom2.8 GB
Context11k
Local cost$9.00
Detail Open

Capability

27B dense · tuned for coding

Evidence

Estimated from nearby benchmark coverage, not a direct match Speed is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage rather than this exact machine-and-quant match. Best runtime hint: Ollama.

Coverage

No direct benchmark rows yet

Speed is estimated, so this cost read is provisional.

Quant ladder and fit detail
QuantQualityHeadroomContextSpeedRuntimeEvidence
Q5_K_M High quality2.8 GB11k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q4_K_M Balanced quality6.5 GB27k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
#5EstimatedLow confidence

MacBook Air M4 24GB 15-inch

M4 · 24GB unified memory · $1,499 · Ultra-portable

Output16.6 tok/s
Prompt114.5 tok/s
QuantQ5_K_M
RuntimeOllama
Headroom2.8 GB
Context11k
Local cost$9.61
Detail Open

Capability

27B dense · tuned for coding

Evidence

Estimated from nearby benchmark coverage, not a direct match Speed is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage rather than this exact machine-and-quant match. Best runtime hint: Ollama.

Coverage

No direct benchmark rows yet

Speed is estimated, so this cost read is provisional.

Quant ladder and fit detail
QuantQualityHeadroomContextSpeedRuntimeEvidence
Q5_K_M High quality2.8 GB11k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q4_K_M Balanced quality6.5 GB27k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
#6EstimatedLow confidence

MacBook Air M4 32GB 13-inch

M4 · 32GB unified memory · $1,499 · Ultra-portable

Output16.6 tok/s
Prompt114.5 tok/s
QuantQ8_0
RuntimeOllama
Headroom3.0 GB
Context12k
Local cost$9.61
Detail Open

Capability

27B dense · tuned for coding

Evidence

Estimated from nearby benchmark coverage, not a direct match Speed is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage rather than this exact machine-and-quant match. Best runtime hint: Ollama.

Coverage

No direct benchmark rows yet

Speed is estimated, so this cost read is provisional.

Quant ladder and fit detail
QuantQualityHeadroomContextSpeedRuntimeEvidence
Q8_0 Reference quality3.0 GB12k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q6_K High quality7.9 GB32k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q5_K_M High quality10.8 GB44k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q4_K_M Balanced quality14.5 GB60k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
#7EstimatedLow confidence

Mac Mini M4 Pro 48GB

M4-PRO · 48GB unified memory · $1,599 · Desktop

Output16.6 tok/s
Prompt114.5 tok/s
QuantQ8_0
RuntimeOllama
Headroom19.0 GB
Context78k
Local cost$10.3
Detail Open

Capability

27B dense · tuned for coding

Evidence

Estimated from nearby benchmark coverage, not a direct match Speed is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage rather than this exact machine-and-quant match. Best runtime hint: Ollama.

Coverage

No direct benchmark rows yet

Speed is estimated, so this cost read is provisional.

Quant ladder and fit detail
QuantQualityHeadroomContextSpeedRuntimeEvidence
Q8_0 Reference quality19.0 GB78k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q6_K High quality23.9 GB98k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q5_K_M High quality26.8 GB110k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q4_K_M Balanced quality30.5 GB125k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
#8EstimatedLow confidence

MacBook Air M4 32GB 15-inch

M4 · 32GB unified memory · $1,699 · Ultra-portable

Output16.6 tok/s
Prompt114.5 tok/s
QuantQ8_0
RuntimeOllama
Headroom3.0 GB
Context12k
Local cost$10.9
Detail Open

Capability

27B dense · tuned for coding

Evidence

Estimated from nearby benchmark coverage, not a direct match Speed is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage rather than this exact machine-and-quant match. Best runtime hint: Ollama.

Coverage

No direct benchmark rows yet

Speed is estimated, so this cost read is provisional.

Quant ladder and fit detail
QuantQualityHeadroomContextSpeedRuntimeEvidence
Q8_0 Reference quality3.0 GB12k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q6_K High quality7.9 GB32k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q5_K_M High quality10.8 GB44k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated
Q4_K_M Balanced quality14.5 GB60k16.6 tok/sOllamaEstimated

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Fit

These answers stay tied to the live workspace defaults for this compatibility route, so the copy explains the same sort order and query framing the table is using.

What does Fit answer that the main rankings page does not?
Fit keeps the workspace focused on memory feasibility. It opens the quant ladder for each result so you can see whether a model barely fits, fits comfortably, or needs a lower quant target on a specific Mac.
Does fitting in memory guarantee good performance?
No. A model can fit and still feel slow. Use the speed, runtime, and evidence columns alongside the fit detail before you treat a Mac-model pairing as practical for daily use.
Why do different quant levels change the answer?
Quantization trades quality for memory footprint and speed. Lower-bit variants need less unified memory, so the Fit route shows how the same model can move from impossible to viable as the quant target changes.