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Text model · Qwen2.5-Coder

Qwen2.5 Coder 3B: RAM and VRAM requirements

Qwen2.5 Coder 3B needs about 3 GB to run at Q4_K_M (the Q4_K_M GGUF file is ~1.8 GB to download; KV cache and overhead add the rest), or about 4.3 GB at Q8_0. The lightest hardware that runs it is Apple M1 (8GB).

Qwen2.5-Coder family · 3.09B params · released Nov 2024 · 16.8M Ollama pulls.

Shopping for hardware? See what runs Qwen2.5 Coder 3B →

License Qwen Research License · Non-commercial ↓ 127.5K/mo ♥ 121 on HuggingFace
Q4_K_M GGUF
1.8 GB
Q8_0 GGUF
3.06 GB
Memory @ Q4 (4k)
~3 GB
Context
32 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?

Qwen2.5 Coder 3B runs on 40 of 40 tracked devices at Q4_K_M.

40 run well 0 tight fit 0 too small
Fit check Q4_K_M
Yes, it runs fast
needs 3 GB usable 10.5 GB
See the full breakdown
$ollama run qwen2.5-coder:3b

Memory breakdown

Weights (Q4_K_M)1.8 GB
+
KV cache (4k)0.4 GB
+
Overhead0.8 GB
=
Total3 GB

How context length changes it

4k context ~3 GB 32k context ~6 GB 128k context ~16.1 GB

Qwen2.5 Coder 3B is small enough that the context window is the thing to size for: 128k needs ~16.1 GB versus ~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 Qwen2.5 Coder 3B generates at roughly ~12% 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) 1.8 GB
Q5_K_M 2.2 GB est
Q6_K 2.5 GB est
Q8_0 3.06 GB
FP16 6.2 GB est

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

Run it

Ollama
$ ollama run qwen2.5-coder:3b
llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf bartowski/Qwen2.5-Coder-3B-Instruct-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get bartowski/Qwen2.5-Coder-3B-Instruct-GGUF

Which devices can run Qwen2.5 Coder 3B?

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 Apple OpenELM 3B 3B Next size up Granite 4.1 3B 3.4B

Similar models

Head-to-head

FAQ

How much VRAM or RAM does Qwen2.5 Coder 3B need?

At Q4_K_M, Qwen2.5 Coder 3B needs about 3 GB (weights ~1.8 GB + KV cache + overhead) at a 4k context. At Q8_0 budget ~4.3 GB.

What is the Q4_K_M GGUF file size of Qwen2.5 Coder 3B?

The Q4_K_M GGUF file is about 1.8 GB to download, and the Q8_0 GGUF is about 3.06 GB. That is the weights file on disk; to run it you also need room for the KV cache and overhead, so budget ~3 GB of memory at Q4_K_M.

Can Qwen2.5 Coder 3B run on a laptop?

Yes, Qwen2.5 Coder 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 Qwen2.5 Coder 3B commercially?

No. Qwen Research License: non-commercial use only.

Understand the numbers

Short guides to the ideas behind Qwen2.5 Coder 3B's memory and quant figures.

Qwen2.5-Coder, code-specialized. Q4_K_M and Q8_0 sizes from the bartowski GGUF repo. 32K context. Qwen Research License restricts commercial use.

Sources

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