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Head-to-head · Qwen3

Qwen3 4B vs Qwen3 30B-A3B

Qwen3 4B needs ~3.8 GB at Q4_K_M; Qwen3 30B-A3B needs ~20.7 GB. That ~16.9 GB gap decides which hardware runs each; they differ on 9 of the 14 devices below.

Spec Qwen3 4B Qwen3 30B-A3B
Parameters4B30.5B MoE
Memory at Q4_K_M~3.8 GB~20.7 GB
Context window32k32k
LMArenanot rankedElo 1383
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 Qwen3 4B Qwen3 30B-A3B
Q2_K 1.7 GB* 12.8 GB*
Q3_K_M 2 GB* 14.9 GB*
Q4_K_M 2.5 GB 18.6 GB
Q5_K_M 2.9 GB* 21.7 GB*
Q6_K 3.3 GB* 25 GB*
Q8_0 4.28 GB 32.5 GB
FP16 8 GB* 61 GB

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

Bottom line

The larger Qwen3 30B-A3B needs ~20.7 GB; Qwen3 4B runs on lighter hardware at ~3.8 GB with more headroom and faster responses. Check each against your exact device: what runs Qwen3 4B · what runs Qwen3 30B-A3B.

More Qwen3 comparisons

FAQ

What is the difference in memory between Qwen3 4B and Qwen3 30B-A3B?

At Q4_K_M, Qwen3 4B needs about 3.8 GB and Qwen3 30B-A3B needs about 20.7 GB, a difference of ~16.9 GB.

Should I run Qwen3 4B or Qwen3 30B-A3B?

Run Qwen3 30B-A3B if your hardware has the ~20.7 GB it needs and you want maximum quality; run Qwen3 4B (~3.8 GB) for lighter hardware, faster responses, and more memory headroom.

Full breakdowns: Qwen3 4B · Qwen3 30B-A3B · all models × devices.

Sources

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