Run a Local LLM on Your MacBook with Two Commands for Free
tomcrawshaw01 · x · 2026-08-04
The author shares a minimalist tutorial for setting up a local Large Language Model (LLM) on a MacBook, requiring only two commands and a few minutes.
The article highlights that for Apple Silicon, unified memory is the only spec that matters, as the GPU shares it with the model. The author notes that 16GB is enough for a genuinely usable experience, while 24GB leaves plenty of room for a large context window. Regarding memory budgeting, you need to allocate about 7.4GB for the model itself and 6-7GB for macOS and everyday apps.
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