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Head-to-head · Qwen3-Coder

Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B vs Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct

Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B needs ~19.4 GB at Q4_K_M; Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct needs ~276.2 GB. That ~256.8 GB gap decides which hardware runs each; they differ on 5 of the 14 devices below.

Spec Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct
Parameters30.5B MoE480B MoE
Memory at Q4_K_M~19.4 GB~276.2 GB
Context window256k256k
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 Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct
Q2_K 12.8 GB* 201 GB*
Q3_K_M 14.9 GB* 234.6 GB*
Q4_K_M 17.28 GB 270.14 GB
Q5_K_M 21.7 GB* 342 GB*
Q6_K 25 GB* 393.6 GB*
Q8_0 30.25 GB 475.3 GB
FP16 61.1 GB 960 GB

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

Bottom line

The larger Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct needs ~276.2 GB; Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B runs on lighter hardware at ~19.4 GB with more headroom and faster responses. Check each against your exact device: what runs Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B · what runs Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct.

FAQ

What is the difference in memory between Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B and Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct?

At Q4_K_M, Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B needs about 19.4 GB and Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct needs about 276.2 GB, a difference of ~256.8 GB.

Should I run Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B or Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct?

Run Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct if your hardware has the ~276.2 GB it needs and you want maximum quality; run Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B (~19.4 GB) for lighter hardware, faster responses, and more memory headroom.

Full breakdowns: Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B · Qwen3-Coder 480B-A35B Instruct · all models × devices.

Sources

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