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Text model · Qwen3-VL

Qwen3-VL 8B: RAM and VRAM requirements

Qwen3-VL 8B needs about 7.3 GB to run at Q4_K_M (the Q4_K_M GGUF file is ~5.76 GB to download; KV cache and overhead add the rest), or about 10.7 GB at Q8_0. The lightest hardware that runs it is Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB).

Qwen3-VL family · 8.77B params · released Oct 2025.

Shopping for hardware? See what runs Qwen3-VL 8B →

Vision · accepts images License Apache-2.0 · Commercial OK ↓ 11.8M/mo ♥ 1.2K on HuggingFace
Q4_K_M GGUF
5.76 GB
Q8_0 GGUF
9.19 GB
Memory @ Q4 (4k)
~7.3 GB
Context
256 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-VL 8B runs on 33 of 43 tracked devices at Q4_K_M.

31 run well 2 tight fit 10 too small
Fit check Q4_K_M
Yes, it runs fast
needs 7.3 GB usable 10.5 GB
See the full breakdown
$ollama run qwen3-vl:8b

Memory breakdown

Weights (Q4_K_M)5.76 GB
+
KV cache (4k)0.7 GB
+
Overhead0.8 GB
=
Total7.3 GB

How context length changes it

4k context ~7.3 GB 32k context ~12.3 GB 128k context ~29.3 GB

Longer context grows the KV cache quickly: Qwen3-VL 8B needs ~7.3 GB at 4k but ~29.3 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-VL 8B generates at roughly ~20% of its short-context speed. How this is estimated.

Quantization sizes

GGUF quantson disk
Quantization Size on disk
Q2_K 3.7 GB est
Q3_K_M 4.3 GB est
Q4_K_M (default) 5.76 GB
Q5_K_M 6.2 GB est
Q6_K 7.2 GB est
Q8_0 9.19 GB
FP16 17.5 GB est

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

Run it

Ollama
$ ollama run qwen3-vl:8b
llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf Qwen/Qwen3-VL-8B-Instruct-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get Qwen/Qwen3-VL-8B-Instruct-GGUF

Which devices can run Qwen3-VL 8B?

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 LFM2.5 8B-A1B 8.3B Next size up Granite 4.1 8B 8.8B

Similar models

Head-to-head

FAQ

How much VRAM or RAM does Qwen3-VL 8B need?

At Q4_K_M, Qwen3-VL 8B needs about 7.3 GB (weights ~5.76 GB + KV cache + overhead) at a 4k context. At Q8_0 budget ~10.7 GB.

What is the Q4_K_M GGUF file size of Qwen3-VL 8B?

The Q4_K_M GGUF file is about 5.76 GB to download, and the Q8_0 GGUF is about 9.19 GB. That is the weights file on disk; to run it you also need room for the KV cache and overhead, so budget ~7.3 GB of memory at Q4_K_M.

Can Qwen3-VL 8B run on a laptop?

Qwen3-VL 8B is large; you need a 24 GB+ GPU or a 32-48 GB Mac at Q4_K_M.

Can I use Qwen3-VL 8B commercially?

Yes. Qwen3-VL 8B is licensed Apache-2.0, which permits commercial use.

Understand the numbers

Short guides to the ideas behind Qwen3-VL 8B's memory and quant figures.

Official Qwen GGUF files measure Q4_K_M at 5,027,784,800 bytes and Q8_0 at 8,709,519,456 bytes. The 1,159,029,824-byte F16 mmproj is folded into the 5.76GB and 9.19GB totals. Ollama qwen3-vl:8b defaults to Q4_K_M and pulls 6,140,392,576 bytes independently. Vision input needs an mmproj-capable runtime.

Sources

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