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Text model · Granite

Granite 4.2 3B: RAM and VRAM requirements

Granite 4.2 3B needs about 3.3 GB to run at Q4_K_M (the Q4_K_M GGUF file is ~2.09 GB to download; KV cache and overhead add the rest), or about 4.8 GB at Q8_0. The lightest hardware that runs it is Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB).

Granite family · 3B params · released 2026-08-25.

Shopping for hardware? See what runs Granite 4.2 3B →

License Apache-2.0 · Commercial OK ↓ 50.1K/mo ♥ 107 on HuggingFace
Q4_K_M GGUF
2.09 GB
Q8_0 GGUF
3.63 GB
Memory @ Q4 (4k)
~3.3 GB
Context
128 k

Q4_K_M and Q8_0 are GGUF download (file) sizes. Memory @ Q4 includes the KV cache and overhead, so it runs larger than the file on disk.

Will it run on your device?

Granite 4.2 3B runs on 43 of 43 tracked devices at Q4_K_M.

43 run well 0 tight fit 0 too small
Fit check Q4_K_M
Yes, it runs fast
needs 3.3 GB usable 10.5 GB
See the full breakdown
$ollama run granite4.2:3b

Memory breakdown

Weights (Q4_K_M)2.09 GB
+
KV cache (4k)0.4 GB
+
Overhead0.8 GB
=
Total3.3 GB

How context length changes it

4k context ~3.3 GB 32k context ~6.2 GB 128k context ~16.2 GB

Granite 4.2 3B is small enough that the context window is the thing to size for: 128k needs ~16.2 GB versus ~3.3 GB at 4k, so pick the window you actually use.

Speed drops too: every token re-reads the KV cache, so at 128k context Granite 4.2 3B generates at roughly ~14% of its short-context speed. How this is estimated.

Quantization sizes

GGUF quantson disk
Quantization Size on disk
Q2_K 1.3 GB est
Q3_K_M 1.5 GB est
Q4_K_M (default) 2.09 GB
Q5_K_M 2.1 GB est
Q6_K 2.5 GB est
Q8_0 3.63 GB
FP16 6 GB est

Lower quant = smaller and faster, slightly lower quality. Q4_K_M is the common default.

Run it

Ollama
$ ollama run granite4.2:3b
llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf ibm-granite/granite-4.2-3b-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get ibm-granite/granite-4.2-3b-GGUF

Which devices can run Granite 4.2 3B?

NVIDIA GPUs

Apple Silicon Macs

RAM-only laptops

iPhone & iPad

Android

AMD GPUs

Same job, different size

Pick by what fits your memory: step down to free up VRAM, or step up if you have headroom.

Next size down Gemma 2 2B 2.61B Next size up Qwen2.5 3B 3.09B

Similar models

Head-to-head

FAQ

How much VRAM or RAM does Granite 4.2 3B need?

At Q4_K_M, Granite 4.2 3B needs about 3.3 GB (weights ~2.09 GB + KV cache + overhead) at a 4k context. At Q8_0 budget ~4.8 GB.

What is the Q4_K_M GGUF file size of Granite 4.2 3B?

The Q4_K_M GGUF file is about 2.09 GB to download, and the Q8_0 GGUF is about 3.63 GB. That is the weights file on disk; to run it you also need room for the KV cache and overhead, so budget ~3.3 GB of memory at Q4_K_M.

Can Granite 4.2 3B run on a laptop?

Yes, Granite 4.2 3B fits on a 16 GB machine at Q4_K_M and runs on Apple Silicon or a 12 GB+ GPU comfortably.

Can I use Granite 4.2 3B commercially?

Yes. Granite 4.2 3B is licensed Apache-2.0, which permits commercial use.

Understand the numbers

Short guides to the ideas behind Granite 4.2 3B's memory and quant figures.

IBM's compact dense reasoning model: 3B parameters, 128K native context with a documented 512K extension, and Apache-2.0. Q4_K_M and Q8_0 are exact files from IBM's GGUF repository; the default Ollama tag has the Q4_K_M model-layer size.

Sources

Catalog updated 2026-10-05. Memory figures are estimates. See methodology.