Can you run Llama 3.1 70B locally?

Llama 3 family · July 2024 · 70.60B parameters · Hugging Face model card

How much VRAM does Llama 3.1 70B need at each quantization?

Llama 3.1 70B needs 47.9 GB of VRAM at Q4_K_M. The table below lists weights-only size and total VRAM including overhead for each common quantization level with 4k and 32k token contexts.

Method: weights = parameters × bits-per-weight (Q4_K_M ≈ 4.8, Q5_K_M ≈ 5.7, Q6_K ≈ 6.6, Q8_0 ≈ 8.5, FP16 = 16), plus 10% loading overhead, plus KV cache from the verified architecture config (80 layers, 8 KV heads, 128 head dim). Source: Params 70.6B, 80 layers, 8 KV heads, 128 head dim, 131072 context — HF config.json (NousResearch/Meta-Llama-3.1-70B-Instruct).

Which GPUs can run Llama 3.1 70B locally?

At Q4_K_M with a 4k context, Llama 3.1 70B needs 47.9 GB of VRAM. The lists below are computed live from our GPU database and grouped by how much headroom the card has. Disclosure: CompareAIHardware.com participates in the Amazon Associates program and earns from qualifying purchases through links on this page. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations.

Runs Llama 3.1 70B comfortably (25%+ VRAM headroom)

Minimum GPUs that fit Llama 3.1 70B at Q4_K_M

These GPUs hold the model but leave little headroom — keep contexts short.

Needs 2+ GPUs to run Llama 3.1 70B

One of these cards is too small on its own, but a pair (tensor or pipeline parallel, ~90% efficiency) covers the 47.9 GB requirement. See our multi-GPU guide for setup.

Can a Mac run Llama 3.1 70B?

Yes — these Apple Silicon machines fit Llama 3.1 70B at Q4_K_M, since macOS lets the GPU use about 75% of unified memory. Generation speed is bound by memory bandwidth, so the GB/s column matters as much as capacity.

Can Llama 3.1 70B run on mini PCs, Jetson, or NPU devices?

These edge and NPU devices from our database have enough memory for Llama 3.1 70B at Q4_K_M. Their memory bandwidth is far below discrete GPUs, so expect a fraction of desktop generation speed.

Which pre-built systems can run Llama 3.1 70B?

These mini PCs and workstations from our database fit Llama 3.1 70B at Q4_K_M. Usable-memory figures are conservative: Windows shares about half of system RAM with the GPU by default (Linux can expose more), macOS lets Apple Silicon GPUs use about 75% of unified memory, and Linux unified-memory systems such as GB10 expose roughly 90%. Generation speed is bound by memory bandwidth, so compare the GB/s column before buying.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Open Llama 3.1 70B in the Model-to-GPU finder — pick quantization and context, see ranked GPU matches.
• Best GPUs for LLMs
• Multi-GPU Guide
• VRAM Calculator