Pick a model for your computer

1. Find your memory

On a Mac, open Apple menu → About This Mac and read Memory. On Windows, open Settings → System → About and read Installed RAM. On Linux, open your system information app or run free -h.

RAM is working space. Free disk space is where downloads live. You need both. On Apple silicon the CPU and GPU share unified memory. A separate graphics card has its own VRAM; do not add VRAM to RAM and call it one budget.

2. Use our file-size rule

The Finder uses 60% of the stated memory as its file-size ceiling, leaving 40% for other use. The table uses decimal GB, like the Finder. Choose below the ceiling for a first try. Other apps, context and the runner still need space.

3. Read the exact file size

On 17 October 2026, our Qwen 0.5B file record listed qwen2.5-0.5b-instruct-q4_k_m.gguf at 491,400,032 bytes, about 0.49 GB. That passes the file-size screen for 8 GB RAM. It does not prove speed or compatibility on your computer.

Use the size of the chosen complete model, not the total of every alternative in a repository. For a split model, count every required part. Leave disk space for the app, runtime and download too.

4. Check these before downloading

• Task: choose a text chat or instruct model for conversation.
• Format: choose one your app explicitly supports. For a first GGUF download, prefer a single complete file.
• Memory: look at actual bytes, not only a name such as 7B or Q4.
• License: open the model's license before choosing how to use it.
• Availability: use the current download action; a catalog record alone does not mean the file is available.

Open the model Finder to compare files. If it has no suitable result, use the small-model example in the Ollama guide.