Bonsai 27B field guide
What we learned running Bonsai 27B on a 24 GB Mac
A measured account of model loading, context limits, and memory choices on an M4 Pro Mac with 24 GB of unified memory.
Is 24 GB enough for Ternary Bonsai 27B?
Yes for moderate text work with one loaded runtime. LM Studio reported a 7.94 GiB loaded size at a 4,096 token context on our 24 GB M4 Pro Mac. The machine had enough room for the model, macOS, and the benchmark, but loading a second model server would have reduced the safety margin.
The choices that kept the run stable
- Only one Bonsai 27B runtime was loaded.
- The context limit was 4,096 tokens for the controlled speed test.
- Other large applications stayed idle during measurement.
- The existing model files were reused instead of copied.
Where 24 GB becomes tight
Long context adds cache memory. Vision work adds image processing costs. A second server would also load another model copy or runtime state.
A model that fits at 4K context is not proof that its full 262K context fits. Increase context in steps and watch memory pressure.
Questions people ask
Can you run two Bonsai 27B servers on 24 GB?
It may be possible in a narrow setup, but it leaves little room for context and the operating system. We did not use two servers for the controlled test.
Does the 8.49 GB file equal runtime memory?
No. File size and loaded memory are different measurements, and context adds more memory.
Primary sources
Vendor claims on this page are labeled as PrismML claims. Local results are added only after a saved trace completes.