
Products · Apple · Desktop
Apple iMac (24-inch, 2023) (M3)
- Chip
- Apple M3
- Unified memory
- 8, 16 or 24 GB
- Launch price
- $1,299–$1,899
- Released
- 2023
Configurations
Pick one to see which models it runs. More memory lets larger models fit; bandwidth sets how fast they answer.
| Configuration | Memory | Usable for AI | Bandwidth | LLMs that run well | Launch price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple M3 · 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | 8.0 GB | 5.4 GB | 100 GB/s | 273 of 622 | $1,299 |
| Apple M3 · 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU | 8.0 GB | 5.4 GB | 100 GB/s | 273 of 622 | $1,499 |
| Apple M3 · 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | 16.0 GB | 10.7 GB | 100 GB/s | 343 of 622 | $1,499 |
| Apple M3 · 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU | 16.0 GB | 10.7 GB | 100 GB/s | 343 of 622 | $1,699 |
| Apple M3 · 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | 24.0 GB | 16.1 GB | 100 GB/s | 379 of 622 | — |
| Apple M3 · 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU | 24.0 GB | 16.1 GB | 100 GB/s | 379 of 622 | $1,899 |
Specifications 16.0 GB configuration
| Maker | Apple |
|---|---|
| Type | Desktop |
| Chip | Apple M3 (16 GB) · 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU |
| Unified memory | 16.0 GB |
| Usable for AI models | 10.7 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 100 GB/s |
| FP16 compute | 4.1 TFLOPS |
| Notes | two-port = 8-core GPU (spec page https://support.apple.com/en-us/117733), four-port = 10-core GPU |
| Product page | support.apple.com (opens in a new tab) |
Best LLMs for the Apple iMac (24-inch, 2023) (M3) 16.0 GB
| Quality | Model | Quant | Memory | Speed | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66Good quality (B) · 66 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 84/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Mellum2.1 Thinking (12B-A2.5B) | Q4_K_M | 9.0 GB | 37.0 tok/s | Runs great |
| 76Great quality (A) · 76 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 82/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | K2 Horizon 7B | Q4_K_M | 8.2 GB | 11.7 tok/s | Runs well |
| 59Good quality (B) · 59 of 100: how capable the model is at Q6_K, whatever it runs on. Match score 81/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Ling 3.0 Tiny (8B-A1.3B) | Q6_K | 8.2 GB | 46.9 tok/s | Runs great |
| 74Great quality (A) · 74 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 81/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | MiMo V2.6 Distill Qwen 9B | Q4_K_M | 7.5 GB | 11.2 tok/s | Runs well |
| 74Great quality (A) · 74 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 81/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | SenseNova Loop 9B Preview | Q4_K_M | 7.8 GB | 10.9 tok/s | Runs well |
| 73Great quality (A) · 73 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 80/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Ornith 1.5 9B | Q4_K_M | 7.6 GB | 11.0 tok/s | Runs well |
| 66Good quality (B) · 66 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 80/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Nemotron 3.5 Bolt E4B | Q4_K_M | 6.5 GB | 23.5 tok/s | Runs well |
| 72Great quality (A) · 72 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 80/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Qwen3.5 9B | Q4_K_M | 7.6 GB | 11.0 tok/s | Runs well |
| 71Great quality (A) · 71 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 79/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Ornith 1.0 9B | Q4_K_M | 7.6 GB | 11.0 tok/s | Runs well |
| 70Great quality (A) · 70 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 79/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | TMax 9B | Q4_K_M | 7.2 GB | 11.8 tok/s | Runs well |
Best Image models for the Apple iMac (24-inch, 2023) (M3) 16.0 GB
| Quality | Model | Quant | Memory | Speed | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76Great quality (A) · 76 of 100: how capable the model is at FP8, whatever it runs on. Match score 84/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | FLUX.2 [klein] 4B | FP8 | 10.2 GB | 16 s | Runs welltight fit |
| 84Great quality (A) · 84 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4 GGUF, whatever it runs on. Match score 80/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | FLUX 3 Image Klein | Q4 GGUF | 10.2 GB | 2.1 min | Slowtight fit |
| 78Great quality (A) · 78 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4 GGUF, whatever it runs on. Match score 79/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Z-Image Turbo | Q4 GGUF | 10.1 GB | 54 s | Slowtight fit |
| 79Great quality (A) · 79 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4 GGUF, whatever it runs on. Match score 76/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | ERNIE-Image Turbo | Q4 GGUF | 7.4 GB | 73 s | Slowencoder unloaded after use |
| 52Fair quality (C) · 52 of 100: how capable the model is at FP8, whatever it runs on. Match score 74/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | SDXL-Lightning (4-step) | FP8 | 5.6 GB | 11 s | Runs great |
| 76Great quality (A) · 76 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4 GGUF, whatever it runs on. Match score 74/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Z-Image | Q4 GGUF | 10.1 GB | 6.1 min | Very slowtight fit |
Best Video models for the Apple iMac (24-inch, 2023) (M3) 16.0 GB
| Quality | Model | Quant | Memory | Speed | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49Fair quality (C) · 49 of 100: how capable the model is at FP8, whatever it runs on. Match score 64/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | LTX-Video 2B | FP8 | 6.1 GB | 7.1 min | Runs wellencoder unloaded after use |
| 55Good quality (B) · 55 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 62/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Wan 2.1 T2V 1.3B | FP16 | 8.4 GB | 75.9 min | Very slowencoder unloaded after use |
| 74Great quality (A) · 74 of 100: how capable the model is at FP8, whatever it runs on. Match score 62/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | HY-OmniWeaving (8.3B, unified video) | FP8 | 7.8 GB | 3.1 h | Very slowCPU offload |
| 53Fair quality (C) · 53 of 100: how capable the model is at FP8, whatever it runs on. Match score 62/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Wan 2.1 VACE 1.3B | FP8 | 8.0 GB | 74.0 min | Very slowencoder unloaded after use |
| 35Basic quality (D) · 35 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 61/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | AnimateDiff v3 (SD 1.5) | FP16 | 4.7 GB | 6.0 min | Runs well |
Best Decision models for the Apple iMac (24-inch, 2023) (M3) 16.0 GB
| Quality | Model | Quant | Memory | Speed | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86Excellent quality (A+) · 86 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 91/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Jina Reranker v3.5 | Q8_0 | 2.3 GB | 136 ms | Runs well |
| 80Great quality (A) · 80 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 91/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | FRIDA-Decisions | Q8_0 | 1.7 GB | 94 ms | Runs great |
| 80Great quality (A) · 80 of 100: how capable the model is at F16, whatever it runs on. Match score 91/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | GLiNER2.5 Decide | F16 | 1.7 GB | 66 ms | Runs great |
| 84Great quality (A) · 84 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 90/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Jina Reranker v3 | Q8_0 | 2.3 GB | 136 ms | Runs well |
| 76Great quality (A) · 76 of 100: how capable the model is at F16, whatever it runs on. Match score 89/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Llama Prompt Guard 2 86M | F16 | 1.2 GB | 74 ms | Runs great |
| 80Great quality (A) · 80 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 88/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | Qwen3 Reranker 0.6B | Q8_0 | 2.3 GB | 136 ms | Runs well |
| 76Great quality (A) · 76 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 88/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | mxbai-rerank-base v2 | Q8_0 | 2.0 GB | 112 ms | Runs great |
| 74Great quality (A) · 74 of 100: how capable the model is at F16, whatever it runs on. Match score 88/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking. | GLiClass ModernBERT Large v3 | F16 | 1.5 GB | 54 ms | Runs great |
Other products with the Apple M3 (16 GB)
Spec sources
Estimates come from published hardware specs and our open formulas, not from running the model on your machine. Real speed varies with runtime, drivers and settings. Numbers marked “Measured” come from a linked benchmark.


