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Head-to-head · Qwen2.5-Coder

Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B vs Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B

Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B needs ~1.4 GB at Q4_K_M; Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B needs ~2 GB. That ~0.6 GB gap decides which hardware runs each; they differ on 0 of the 14 devices below.

Spec Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B
Parameters0.494B1.54B
Memory at Q4_K_M~1.4 GB~2 GB
Context window32k32k
LMArenanot rankednot 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 Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B
Q2_K 0.2 GB* 0.6 GB*
Q3_K_M 0.2 GB* 0.8 GB*
Q4_K_M 0.37 GB 0.92 GB
Q5_K_M 0.4 GB* 1.1 GB*
Q6_K 0.4 GB* 1.3 GB*
Q8_0 0.49 GB 1.53 GB
FP16 1 GB* 3.1 GB*

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

Bottom line

The larger Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B needs ~2 GB; Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B runs on lighter hardware at ~1.4 GB with more headroom and faster responses. Check each against your exact device: what runs Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B · what runs Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B.

More Qwen2.5-Coder comparisons

FAQ

What is the difference in memory between Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B and Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B?

At Q4_K_M, Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B needs about 1.4 GB and Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B needs about 2 GB, a difference of ~0.6 GB.

Should I run Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B or Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B?

Run Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B if your hardware has the ~2 GB it needs and you want maximum quality; run Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B (~1.4 GB) for lighter hardware, faster responses, and more memory headroom.

Full breakdowns: Qwen2.5 Coder 0.5B · Qwen2.5 Coder 1.5B · all models × devices.

Sources

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