text model · Llama · Windows

Can I run Llama 3.1 8B on 8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only)?

Compatibility verdict VRAM threshold engine

No, not enough memory would not load

No. Llama 3.1 8B needs ~6.4 GB even at Q4_K_M, but 8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) only has ~5 GB usable.

Needs ~6.4 GB Device usable ~5 GB

Needs ~6.4 GB even at Q4_K_M, but only ~5 GB is usable.

That figure is at a 4k context and moves about ±15% as context length changes.

The gap is about 1.4 GB: Llama 3.1 8B needs roughly 6.4 GB at Q4_K_M and 8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) leaves only about 5 GB usable for a model. The lightest tracked hardware that runs Llama 3.1 8B is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB) at 12 GB. See Llama 3.1 8B on Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB).

Q4_K_M needed: ~6.4 GB
Usable on device: ~5 GB
Device memory: 8 GB

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Which quant fits

Quant ladder vs ~5 GB usable

Q2_K

~4.9 GB

Q3_K_M

~5.4 GB

Q4_K_M

~6.4 GB

Q5_K_M

~7.2 GB

Q6_K

~8.1 GB

Q8_0

~10 GB

FP16

~17.5 GB

The line marks 8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only)'s ~5 GB budget; rungs past it are too large.

Model Llama

Parameters: 8B
Q4_K_M size: 4.92 GB
Q8_0 size: 8.54 GB
Context: 128k
Ollama tag: llama3.1:8b

Full Llama 3.1 8B requirements →

Device Windows

Memory: 8 GB ram
Usable for weights: ~5 GB
Power draw: ~15 W
Best runtime: Ollama (llama.cpp backend)

Best models for 8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) →

What you can run instead

Run Llama 3.1 8B on other hardware

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB)Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (12GB)Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Generic Android Phone (12GB RAM)iPhone 17 Pro iPhone Air

FAQ

Can 8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) run Llama 3.1 8B?

No. Llama 3.1 8B needs ~6.4 GB even at Q4_K_M, but 8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) only has ~5 GB usable.

How much memory does Llama 3.1 8B need?

8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) does not have enough memory. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~4.92 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~6.4 GB at a 4k context.

What is the best tool to run Llama 3.1 8B on Windows?

LM Studio for a simple setup; Ollama (CUDA) for the most speed. AMD GPUs run via Vulkan/ROCm at roughly half CUDA throughput. NVIDIA is the smooth path on Windows.

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Markdown

[![Llama 3.1 8B on 8GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only)](https://localmodel.run/badge/llama-3.1-8b/laptop-8gb.svg)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/llama-3.1-8b/laptop-8gb)

Sources

Weights are measured from GGUF files; KV cache and overhead are computed, so totals can vary ~15% with context and runtime. Any tok/s is a bandwidth estimate. See methodology.