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Text model · SmolLM3

SmolLM3 3B: RAM and VRAM requirements

SmolLM3 3B needs about 3 GB to run at Q4_K_M (the Q4_K_M GGUF file is ~1.78 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).

SmolLM3 family · 3B params · released Jul 2025.

Shopping for hardware? See what runs SmolLM3 3B →

License Apache-2.0 · Commercial OK ↓ 869.6K/mo ♥ 987 on HuggingFace
Q4_K_M GGUF
1.78 GB
Q8_0 GGUF
3.05 GB
Memory @ Q4 (4k)
~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?

SmolLM3 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

Memory breakdown

Weights (Q4_K_M)1.78 GB
+
KV cache (4k)0.4 GB
+
Overhead0.8 GB
=
Total3 GB

How context length changes it

4k context ~3 GB 32k context ~5.9 GB 128k context ~15.9 GB

SmolLM3 3B is small enough that the context window is the thing to size for: 128k needs ~15.9 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 SmolLM3 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) 1.78 GB
Q5_K_M 2.1 GB est
Q6_K 2.5 GB est
Q8_0 3.05 GB
FP16 6 GB est

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

Run it

llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf unsloth/SmolLM3-3B-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get unsloth/SmolLM3-3B-GGUF

Which devices can run SmolLM3 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 Gemma 2 2B 2.61B Next size up Qwen2.5 3B 3.09B

Similar models

FAQ

How much VRAM or RAM does SmolLM3 3B need?

At Q4_K_M, SmolLM3 3B needs about 3 GB (weights ~1.78 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 SmolLM3 3B?

The Q4_K_M GGUF file is about 1.78 GB to download, and the Q8_0 GGUF is about 3.05 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 SmolLM3 3B run on a laptop?

Yes, SmolLM3 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 SmolLM3 3B commercially?

Yes. SmolLM3 3B is licensed Apache-2.0, which permits commercial use.

Understand the numbers

Short guides to the ideas behind SmolLM3 3B's memory and quant figures.

Hugging Face SmolLM3 3B, long-context small model. Q4_K_M and Q8_0 sizes from the unsloth GGUF repo.

Sources

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