At Q4_K_M it needs about 6.21 GB, so an 8 GB card like the GeForce RTX 3070 8GB runs it with about 1.79 GB to spare. The license is the Llama 3.1 community license. The official file is gated, so architecture numbers come from Unsloth and the parameter count stays official.
32 layers, 32 query heads sharing 8 key heads. Context scales from an 8,192-token base out to 131,072 tokens. The April Llama 3 8B page is the short-context ancestor if you do not need that longer window.
Which GPUs fit
| GPU | Memory | Status | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+7.04 GB | +7.04 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+7.04 GB | +7.04 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5090 32GB32 GB · No CPU offload | 32 GB | Fits+15.04 GB | +15.04 GB |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+7.04 GB | +7.04 GB |
| NVIDIA A100 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+63.04 GB | +63.04 GB |
| NVIDIA H100 SXM 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+63.04 GB | +63.04 GB |
| Apple M5 Max 48GB unified48 GB · 36.00 GB usable · No CPU offload | 48 GB | Fits+19.04 GB | +19.04 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB · CPU offload | 12 GB | 4.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 3070 8GB8 GB · CPU offload | 8 GB | 8.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 3080 10GB10 GB · CPU offload | 10 GB | 6.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 4060 8GB8 GB · CPU offload | 8 GB | 8.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB16 GB · CPU offload | 16 GB | 0.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 4070 12GB12 GB · CPU offload | 12 GB | 4.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB16 GB · CPU offload | 16 GB | 0.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 4080 16GB16 GB · CPU offload | 16 GB | 0.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB16 GB · CPU offload | 16 GB | 0.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 5070 12GB12 GB · CPU offload | 12 GB | 4.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB16 GB · CPU offload | 16 GB | 0.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 5080 16GB16 GB · CPU offload | 16 GB | 0.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB16 GB · CPU offload | 16 GB | 0.96 GB short | CPU offload |
| GPU | Memory | Status | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+2.05 GB | +2.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3080 10GB10 GB · Tight fit | 10 GB | Tight fit+0.05 GB | +0.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+14.05 GB | +14.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+6.05 GB | +6.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+2.05 GB | +2.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+6.05 GB | +6.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+6.05 GB | +6.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+14.05 GB | +14.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+6.05 GB | +6.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+2.05 GB | +2.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+6.05 GB | +6.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+6.05 GB | +6.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5090 32GB32 GB · No CPU offload | 32 GB | Fits+22.05 GB | +22.05 GB |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+14.05 GB | +14.05 GB |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+6.05 GB | +6.05 GB |
| NVIDIA A100 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+70.05 GB | +70.05 GB |
| NVIDIA H100 SXM 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+70.05 GB | +70.05 GB |
| Apple M5 Max 48GB unified48 GB · 36.00 GB usable · No CPU offload | 48 GB | Fits+26.05 GB | +26.05 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3070 8GB8 GB · CPU offload | 8 GB | 1.95 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 4060 8GB8 GB · CPU offload | 8 GB | 1.95 GB short | CPU offload |
| GPU | Memory | Status | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+3.87 GB | +3.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3080 10GB10 GB · No CPU offload | 10 GB | Fits+1.87 GB | +1.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+15.87 GB | +15.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+7.87 GB | +7.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+3.87 GB | +3.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+7.87 GB | +7.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+7.87 GB | +7.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+15.87 GB | +15.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+7.87 GB | +7.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+3.87 GB | +3.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+7.87 GB | +7.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+7.87 GB | +7.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5090 32GB32 GB · No CPU offload | 32 GB | Fits+23.87 GB | +23.87 GB |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+15.87 GB | +15.87 GB |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+7.87 GB | +7.87 GB |
| NVIDIA A100 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+71.87 GB | +71.87 GB |
| NVIDIA H100 SXM 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+71.87 GB | +71.87 GB |
| Apple M5 Max 48GB unified48 GB · 36.00 GB usable · No CPU offload | 48 GB | Fits+27.87 GB | +27.87 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3070 8GB8 GB · CPU offload | 8 GB | 0.13 GB short | CPU offload |
| GeForce RTX 4060 8GB8 GB · CPU offload | 8 GB | 0.13 GB short | CPU offload |
| GPU | Memory | Status | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+4.86 GB | +4.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3070 8GB8 GB · No CPU offload | 8 GB | Fits+0.86 GB | +0.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3080 10GB10 GB · No CPU offload | 10 GB | Fits+2.86 GB | +2.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+16.86 GB | +16.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 8GB8 GB · No CPU offload | 8 GB | Fits+0.86 GB | +0.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+8.86 GB | +8.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+4.86 GB | +4.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+8.86 GB | +8.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+8.86 GB | +8.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+16.86 GB | +16.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+8.86 GB | +8.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+4.86 GB | +4.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+8.86 GB | +8.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+8.86 GB | +8.86 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5090 32GB32 GB · No CPU offload | 32 GB | Fits+24.86 GB | +24.86 GB |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+16.86 GB | +16.86 GB |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+8.86 GB | +8.86 GB |
| NVIDIA A100 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+72.86 GB | +72.86 GB |
| NVIDIA H100 SXM 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+72.86 GB | +72.86 GB |
| Apple M5 Max 48GB unified48 GB · 36.00 GB usable · No CPU offload | 48 GB | Fits+28.86 GB | +28.86 GB |
| GPU | Memory | Status | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+5.79 GB | +5.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3070 8GB8 GB · No CPU offload | 8 GB | Fits+1.79 GB | +1.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3080 10GB10 GB · No CPU offload | 10 GB | Fits+3.79 GB | +3.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+17.79 GB | +17.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 8GB8 GB · No CPU offload | 8 GB | Fits+1.79 GB | +1.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+9.79 GB | +9.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+5.79 GB | +5.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+9.79 GB | +9.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+9.79 GB | +9.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+17.79 GB | +17.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+9.79 GB | +9.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+5.79 GB | +5.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+9.79 GB | +9.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+9.79 GB | +9.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5090 32GB32 GB · No CPU offload | 32 GB | Fits+25.79 GB | +25.79 GB |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+17.79 GB | +17.79 GB |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+9.79 GB | +9.79 GB |
| NVIDIA A100 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+73.79 GB | +73.79 GB |
| NVIDIA H100 SXM 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+73.79 GB | +73.79 GB |
| Apple M5 Max 48GB unified48 GB · 36.00 GB usable · No CPU offload | 48 GB | Fits+29.79 GB | +29.79 GB |
| GPU | Memory | Status | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+6.79 GB | +6.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3070 8GB8 GB · No CPU offload | 8 GB | Fits+2.79 GB | +2.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3080 10GB10 GB · No CPU offload | 10 GB | Fits+4.79 GB | +4.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+18.79 GB | +18.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 8GB8 GB · No CPU offload | 8 GB | Fits+2.79 GB | +2.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+10.79 GB | +10.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+6.79 GB | +6.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+10.79 GB | +10.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+10.79 GB | +10.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+18.79 GB | +18.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+10.79 GB | +10.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+6.79 GB | +6.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+10.79 GB | +10.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+10.79 GB | +10.79 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5090 32GB32 GB · No CPU offload | 32 GB | Fits+26.79 GB | +26.79 GB |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+18.79 GB | +18.79 GB |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+10.79 GB | +10.79 GB |
| NVIDIA A100 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+74.79 GB | +74.79 GB |
| NVIDIA H100 SXM 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+74.79 GB | +74.79 GB |
| Apple M5 Max 48GB unified48 GB · 36.00 GB usable · No CPU offload | 48 GB | Fits+30.79 GB | +30.79 GB |
| GPU | Memory | Status | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+7.55 GB | +7.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3070 8GB8 GB · No CPU offload | 8 GB | Fits+3.55 GB | +3.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3080 10GB10 GB · No CPU offload | 10 GB | Fits+5.55 GB | +5.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 3090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+19.55 GB | +19.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 8GB8 GB · No CPU offload | 8 GB | Fits+3.55 GB | +3.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+11.55 GB | +11.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+7.55 GB | +7.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+11.55 GB | +11.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+11.55 GB | +11.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 4090 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+19.55 GB | +19.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+11.55 GB | +11.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 12GB12 GB · No CPU offload | 12 GB | Fits+7.55 GB | +7.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+11.55 GB | +11.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5080 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+11.55 GB | +11.55 GB |
| GeForce RTX 5090 32GB32 GB · No CPU offload | 32 GB | Fits+27.55 GB | +27.55 GB |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB24 GB · No CPU offload | 24 GB | Fits+19.55 GB | +19.55 GB |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB16 GB · No CPU offload | 16 GB | Fits+11.55 GB | +11.55 GB |
| NVIDIA A100 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+75.55 GB | +75.55 GB |
| NVIDIA H100 SXM 80GB80 GB · No CPU offload | 80 GB | Fits+75.55 GB | +75.55 GB |
| Apple M5 Max 48GB unified48 GB · 36.00 GB usable · No CPU offload | 48 GB | Fits+31.55 GB | +31.55 GB |
VRAM by quantization
Totals at 8,192 tokens. Q4_K_M is the usual balance of size and quality. FP16 weights are the parameter count times 2 bytes. The FP16 column in the table is the full estimate: weights, cache, and 1 GB.
| Quantization | Bits | Weights | Cache | Overhead | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP16/BF16Bits 16 · Cache 1.00 · Overhead 1.00 | 16 | 14.96 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 16.96 |
| Q8_0Bits 8.5 · Cache 1.00 · Overhead 1.00 | 8.5 | 7.95 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 9.95 |
| Q6_KBits 6.5625 · Cache 1.00 · Overhead 1.00 | 6.5625 | 6.13 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 8.13 |
| Q5_K_MBits 5.5 · Cache 1.00 · Overhead 1.00 | 5.5 | 5.14 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 7.14 |
| Q4_K_MBits 4.5 · Cache 1.00 · Overhead 1.00 | 4.5 | 4.21 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 6.21 |
| Q3_K_MBits 3.4375 · Cache 1.00 · Overhead 1.00 | 3.4375 | 3.21 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 5.21 |
| Q2_KBits 2.625 · Cache 1.00 · Overhead 1.00 | 2.625 | 2.45 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 4.45 |
Context length
Q4_K_M total as the context changes. Cache is the part that grows.
| Context tokens | Cache GB | Q4_K_M total | FP16 total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2048FP16 total 16.21 | 0.25 | 5.46 | 16.21 |
| 8192FP16 total 16.96 | 1.00 | 6.21 | 16.96 |
| 32768FP16 total 19.96 | 4.00 | 9.21 | 19.96 |
| 131072FP16 total 31.96 | 16.00 | 21.21 | 31.96 |
Llama 3.1 8B hardware notes
- Unified memory counts 75 percent of the listed pool as usable. Discrete cards use the full listed memory. The memory column still shows the listed figure.
- Last updated 2024-09-25.
- Weights, cache, and the 1 GB overhead are estimates. How this is calculated.
- Architecture numbers come from unsloth/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct because the official download is gated. The parameter count is the official Hugging Face record.
Llama 3.1 8B VRAM FAQ
How much VRAM does Llama 3.1 8B need at Q4_K_M?
6.21 GB at 8,192 tokens. Weights are 4.21 GB, the cache is 1.00 GB, and overhead is 1 GB.
Does a 24 GB GPU fit Llama 3.1 8B at Q4_K_M?
GeForce RTX 3090 24GB is Fits, 17.79 GB left. The quant table uses 8,192 tokens, the smaller of 8,192 and the configured maximum of 131,072.
What context length is configured for Llama 3.1 8B?
The configured context length is 131,072 tokens. The quant table uses 8,192 tokens, the smaller of 8,192 and the configured maximum of 131,072.
Which source supplies the parameter count for Llama 3.1 8B?
8.03B parameters, from the Hugging Face model record for meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct. Architecture numbers come from the public copy at unsloth/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct, because the official download is gated. The parameter count is the official record.
Related models
| Model | Q4_K_M GB |
|---|---|
| Llama 3.1 70B | 40.46 |
| Llama 3 8B | 6.21 |
| gpt-oss-20b | 12.15 |
| Gemma 4 | 18.48 |
| Llama 3.3 70B | 40.46 |