Can you run Qwen 3 8B locally?

Qwen 3 family · April 2025 · 8.2B parameters · Hugging Face model card

How much VRAM does Qwen 3 8B need at each quantization?

Qwen 3 8B needs 6.0 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 (36 layers, 8 KV heads, 128 head dim). Source: Params 8.19B, 36 layers, 8 KV heads, head dim 128, 40960 context — HF config.json (Qwen/Qwen3-8B), fetched 2026-08-26.

Which GPUs can run Qwen 3 8B locally?

At Q4_K_M with a 4k context, Qwen 3 8B needs 6.0 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 Qwen 3 8B comfortably (25%+ VRAM headroom)

Can a Mac run Qwen 3 8B?

Yes — these Apple Silicon machines fit Qwen 3 8B 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 Qwen 3 8B run on mini PCs, Jetson, or NPU devices?

These edge and NPU devices from our database have enough memory for Qwen 3 8B 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 Qwen 3 8B?

These mini PCs and workstations from our database fit Qwen 3 8B 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 Qwen 3 8B in the Model-to-GPU finder — pick quantization and context, see ranked GPU matches.
• Best GPUs for LLMs
• VRAM Calculator