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MI MiniMax M3: RAM and VRAM requirements

MiniMax M3 needs about 269.8 GB to run at Q4_K_M (the Q4_K_M GGUF file is ~264.03 GB to download; KV cache and overhead add the rest), or about 458.5 GB at Q8_0. The lightest hardware that runs it is a high-memory machine.

MiniMax family · 428B params (Mixture-of-Experts: activates only 23B of 428B params per token, so generation is faster than the total size suggests) · released Jun 2026.

Shopping for hardware? See what runs MiniMax M3 →

License MiniMax Community License · Conditional ↓ 164.8K/mo ♥ 1.4K on HuggingFace
Q4_K_M GGUF
264.03 GB
Q8_0 GGUF
452.71 GB
Memory @ Q4 (4k)
~269.8 GB
Context
1000 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?

MiniMax M3 runs on 0 of 40 tracked devices at Q4_K_M.

0 run well 0 tight fit 40 too small
Fit check Q4_K_M
No, not enough memory
needs 269.8 GB usable 10.5 GB
See the full breakdown

Memory breakdown

Weights (Q4_K_M)264.03 GB
+
KV cache (4k)5 GB
+
Overhead0.8 GB
=
Total269.8 GB

How context length changes it

4k context ~269.8 GB 32k context ~304.5 GB 128k context ~423.7 GB

Longer context grows the KV cache, which for MiniMax M3 is sized by its 23B active params, not the full 428B. It needs ~269.8 GB at 4k and ~423.7 GB at 128k.

Quantization sizes

GGUF quantson disk
Quantization Size on disk
Q2_K 179.2 GB est
Q3_K_M 209.2 GB est
Q4_K_M (default) 264.03 GB
Q5_K_M 305 GB est
Q6_K 351 GB est
Q8_0 452.71 GB
FP16 852 GB

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

Run it

llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf unsloth/MiniMax-M3-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get unsloth/MiniMax-M3-GGUF

Which devices can run MiniMax M3?

Apple Silicon Macs

RAM-only laptops

iPhone & iPad

Android

NVIDIA GPUs

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 Llama 4 Maverick 400B Next size up MiniMax-M1-80k 456B

Similar models

Head-to-head

FAQ

How much VRAM or RAM does MiniMax M3 need?

At Q4_K_M, MiniMax M3 needs about 269.8 GB (weights ~264.03 GB + KV cache + overhead) at a 4k context. At Q8_0 budget ~458.5 GB.

What is the Q4_K_M GGUF file size of MiniMax M3?

The Q4_K_M GGUF file is about 264.03 GB to download, and the Q8_0 GGUF is about 452.71 GB. That is the weights file on disk; to run it you also need room for the KV cache and overhead, so budget ~269.8 GB of memory at Q4_K_M.

Can MiniMax M3 run on a laptop?

MiniMax M3 is large; you need a high-memory Mac or multi-GPU setup at Q4_K_M.

Is MiniMax M3 cheaper to run because it is a MoE model?

It is faster, not lighter. MiniMax M3 activates only 23B of 428B params per token (so it runs quickly), but all experts must stay in memory, so it still needs memory for the full 428B.

Can I use MiniMax M3 commercially?

Conditionally. MiniMax Community License: free for most uses; very large deployments need a separate license.

Understand the numbers

Short guides to the ideas behind MiniMax M3's memory and quant figures.

MiniMax's natively multimodal flagship: 428B total, 23B active, 1M context. Q4 figure is unsloth's UD-Q4_K_M (264GB); the 2-bit UD-Q2_K_XL at 143GB is the realistic single-big-rig floor. Cloud-only on Ollama.

Sources

Last validated 2026-08-03. Memory figures are estimates. See methodology.