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Text model · Qwen3

Qwen3 14B: RAM and VRAM requirements

Qwen3 14B needs about 10.7 GB to run at Q4_K_M (the Q4_K_M GGUF file is ~9 GB to download; KV cache and overhead add the rest), or about 17.4 GB at Q8_0. The lightest hardware that runs it is Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB).

Qwen3 family · 14B params · released Apr 2025 · 23M Ollama pulls.

Shopping for hardware? See what runs Qwen3 14B →

License Apache-2.0 · Commercial OK ↓ 2.8M/mo ♥ 436 on HuggingFace
Q4_K_M GGUF
9 GB
Q8_0 GGUF
15.7 GB
Memory @ Q4 (4k)
~10.7 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?

Qwen3 14B runs on 24 of 40 tracked devices at Q4_K_M.

22 run well 2 tight fit 16 too small
Fit check Q4_K_M
No, not enough memory
needs 10.7 GB usable 10.5 GB
See the full breakdown

Memory breakdown

Weights (Q4_K_M)9 GB
+
KV cache (4k)0.9 GB
+
Overhead0.8 GB
=
Total10.7 GB

How context length changes it

4k context ~10.7 GB 32k context ~17 GB 128k context ~38.5 GB

Longer context grows the KV cache quickly: Qwen3 14B needs ~10.7 GB at 4k but ~38.5 GB at 128k, which can push it past a device that fits it at a short context.

Speed drops too: every token re-reads the KV cache, so at 128k context Qwen3 14B generates at roughly ~24% of its short-context speed. How this is estimated.

Benchmark scores

BFCL · tool use

#5 of 19 ranked · Overall Acc on the Berkeley Function-Calling Leaderboard.

41%

Sourced third-party benchmarks for the full-precision Qwen3 14B, not a specific quant. See the full leaderboard.

Quantization sizes

GGUF quantson disk
Quantization Size on disk
Q2_K 5.9 GB est
Q3_K_M 6.8 GB est
Q4_K_M (default) 9 GB
Q5_K_M 10 GB est
Q6_K 11.5 GB est
Q8_0 15.7 GB
FP16 30 GB

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

Run it

Ollama
$ ollama run qwen3:14b
llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf Qwen/Qwen3-14B-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get Qwen/Qwen3-14B-GGUF

Which devices can run Qwen3 14B?

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 Mistral Nemo 12B 12.2B Next size up DeepSeek-V2-Lite 16B

Similar models

Head-to-head

FAQ

How much VRAM or RAM does Qwen3 14B need?

At Q4_K_M, Qwen3 14B needs about 10.7 GB (weights ~9 GB + KV cache + overhead) at a 4k context. At Q8_0 budget ~17.4 GB.

What is the Q4_K_M GGUF file size of Qwen3 14B?

The Q4_K_M GGUF file is about 9 GB to download, and the Q8_0 GGUF is about 15.7 GB. That is the weights file on disk; to run it you also need room for the KV cache and overhead, so budget ~10.7 GB of memory at Q4_K_M.

Can Qwen3 14B run on a laptop?

Qwen3 14B is large; you need a 24 GB+ GPU or a 32-48 GB Mac at Q4_K_M.

Can I use Qwen3 14B commercially?

Yes. Qwen3 14B is licensed Apache-2.0, which permits commercial use.

Understand the numbers

Short guides to the ideas behind Qwen3 14B's memory and quant figures.

Official Qwen/Qwen3-14B-GGUF HF repo lists Q4_K_M=9GB, Q8_0=15.7GB. Confirmed by Ollama tags page (9.3GB rounded) and search cross-check. Context 32K native, 128K via YaRN.

Sources

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