Any Apple Silicon Mac Mini (M1, M2, M3, or M4 series) can run an 8B model (like Llama 3 8B or Qwen 2.5 8B), provided it has at least 16 GB of Unified Memory and the model is quantized (compressed) to 4-bit or 5-bit GGUF format.
For the best and most responsive experience, look for these specific Mac Mini configurations:
The Minimum Practical Spec: An M1 or M2 Mac Mini with 16 GB of RAM. This will allow you to run 8B models, but you must keep your context sizes modest and watch out for background apps eating into your memory.
The Sweet Spot for 8B Models: An M4 or M2 Pro Mac Mini with 24 GB or 32 GB of RAM. This additional memory gives you the freedom to run 8B models with enormous context windows, use slightly less compressed (higher quality) 8-bit versions, or even run slightly larger 12B–14B models without performance-tanking memory swapping.
The "Budget-Heavy" AI Option: An M4 Pro Mac Mini with 48 GB to 64 GB of RAM. While overkill for a single 8B model, this allows you to run massive 32B or 70B parameter models, serve AI to multiple users, or run autonomous coding agents 24/7.
Because Apple’s unified memory cannot be upgraded after purchase, always prioritize more RAM over a slightly faster processor when budgeting for AI workloads.