Skip to content

Head-to-head · Mistral

Mistral 7B vs Mistral Nemo 12B

Mistral 7B needs ~5.8 GB at Q4_K_M; Mistral Nemo 12B needs ~8.6 GB. That ~2.8 GB gap decides which hardware runs each; they differ on 2 of the 14 devices below.

Spec Mistral 7B Mistral Nemo 12B
Parameters7B12.2B
Memory at Q4_K_M~5.8 GB~8.6 GB
Context window32k128k
LMArenaElo 1149not ranked
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0

Which devices run each

A representative spread across the memory range. Tap a verdict for the full breakdown.

Size at each quantization

Quant Mistral 7B Mistral Nemo 12B
Q2_K 2.9 GB* 5.1 GB*
Q3_K_M 3.4 GB* 6 GB*
Q4_K_M 4.37 GB 6.96 GB
Q5_K_M 5 GB* 8.7 GB*
Q6_K 5.7 GB* 10 GB*
Q8_0 7.7 GB 12.13 GB
FP16 14 GB* 24.4 GB*

* derived from bits-per-weight; unstarred sizes are measured GGUF files.

Bottom line

The larger Mistral Nemo 12B needs ~8.6 GB; Mistral 7B runs on lighter hardware at ~5.8 GB with more headroom and faster responses. Check each against your exact device: what runs Mistral 7B · what runs Mistral Nemo 12B.

More Mistral comparisons

FAQ

What is the difference in memory between Mistral 7B and Mistral Nemo 12B?

At Q4_K_M, Mistral 7B needs about 5.8 GB and Mistral Nemo 12B needs about 8.6 GB, a difference of ~2.8 GB.

Should I run Mistral 7B or Mistral Nemo 12B?

Run Mistral Nemo 12B if your hardware has the ~8.6 GB it needs and you want maximum quality; run Mistral 7B (~5.8 GB) for lighter hardware, faster responses, and more memory headroom.

Full breakdowns: Mistral 7B · Mistral Nemo 12B · all models × devices.

Sources

Memory figures are estimates at Q4_K_M, validated 2026-08-03. See methodology.