Compare · Models

Qwen3 8B vs Llama 3.1 8B: which runs better locally?

Qwen3 8B needs about 6.4 GB at Q4 with 8K context and fits fully on 36 of 40 GPUs. Llama 3.1 8B needs 6.2 GB and fits on 36.

Model

VerdictClose in size and speed

Qwen3 8B needs about 6.4 GB at Q4 with 8K context and fits fully on 36 of 40 GPUs. Llama 3.1 8B needs 6.2 GB and fits on 36.

Qwen3 8BChat, Coding, Reasoning

Parameters8.2B

Memory at Q4, 8K6.4 GB

Memory at Q8, 8K10.7 GB

GPUs that run it fully36 / 40

Cheapest desktop cardRTX 3050 (8 GB)

Llama 3.1 8BChat

Parameters8B

Memory at Q4, 8K6.2 GB

Memory at Q8, 8K10.4 GB

GPUs that run it fully36 / 40

Cheapest desktop cardRTX 3050 (8 GB)

Each GPU at 8K context with the best quantization that fits. Offload assumes 32 GB of system RAM. Green marks the better result. Rows where the two differ come first.

GPU	Qwen3 8B	Llama 3.1 8B
RTX 5090 32 GB	Runs~130 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~140 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 4090 24 GB	Runs~75 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~77 tok/sQ8_0
RX 7900 XTX 24 GB	Runs~72 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~74 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 3090 / 3090 Ti 24 GB	Runs~70 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~72 tok/sQ8_0
RX 7900 XT 20 GB	Runs~60 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~61 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 5080 16 GB	Runs~72 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~74 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB	Runs~67 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~69 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 4080 / 4080 Super 16 GB	Runs~55 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~56 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 4070 Ti Super 16 GB	Runs~50 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~52 tok/sQ8_0
RX 9070 XT 16 GB	Runs~48 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~49 tok/sQ8_0
RX 7800 XT 16 GB	Runs~47 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~48 tok/sQ8_0
Arc A770 16 GB	Runs~42 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~43 tok/sQ8_0
RX 6800 XT 16 GB	Runs~38 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~39 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB	Runs~34 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~34 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB	Runs~22 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~22 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 5070 12 GB	Runs~50 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~52 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 4070 / 4070 Super 12 GB	Runs~38 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~39 tok/sQ8_0
Arc B580 12 GB	Runs~34 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~35 tok/sQ8_0
RX 7700 XT 12 GB	Runs~32 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~33 tok/sQ8_0
RX 6700 XT 12 GB	Runs~29 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~29 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 3060 12 GB	Runs~27 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~28 tok/sQ8_0
GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB	Runs~47 tok/sQ6_K	Runs~48 tok/sQ6_K
RTX 3080 10 GB	Runs~74 tok/sQ6_K	Runs~75 tok/sQ6_K
Arc A750 8 GB	Runs~69 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~71 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB	Runs~60 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~62 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 5060 8 GB	Runs~60 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~62 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 3070 / 3070 Ti 8 GB	Runs~60 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~62 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB	Runs~60 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~62 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB	Runs~39 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~40 tok/sQ4_K_M
RX 7600 8 GB	Runs~39 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~40 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 4060 8 GB	Runs~37 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~38 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 3050 8 GB	Runs~30 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~31 tok/sQ4_K_M
GTX 1660 / 1660 Super 6 GB	Offload~6.8 tok/sQ4_K_M	Offload~7.0 tok/sQ4_K_M
GTX 1650 4 GB	Offload~4.6 tok/sQ4_K_M	Offload~4.7 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 4090 Laptop 16 GB	Runs~43 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~44 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 4080 Laptop 12 GB	Runs~32 tok/sQ8_0	Runs~33 tok/sQ8_0
RTX 4070 Laptop 8 GB	Runs~34 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~35 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 4060 Laptop 8 GB	Runs~34 tok/sQ4_K_M	Runs~35 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 3060 Laptop 6 GB	Offload~6.8 tok/sQ4_K_M	Offload~7.0 tok/sQ4_K_M
RTX 4050 Laptop 6 GB	Offload~4.4 tok/sQ4_K_M	Offload~4.4 tok/sQ4_K_M

Which should you run?

Close in size and speed. Qwen3 8B needs about 6.4 GB at Q4 with 8K context and fits fully on 36 of 40 GPUs. Llama 3.1 8B needs 6.2 GB and fits on 36.

See every result on its own page: Qwen3 8B and Llama 3.1 8B.

Questions

Is Qwen3 8B or Llama 3.1 8B better?

Close in size and speed. Qwen3 8B needs about 6.4 GB at Q4 with 8K context and fits fully on 36 of 40 GPUs. Llama 3.1 8B needs 6.2 GB and fits on 36. The right pick depends on what you use it for: compare the strengths listed on each model's page.

Which needs less VRAM, Qwen3 8B or Llama 3.1 8B?

Qwen3 8B needs about 6.4 GB at Q4 with 8K context, Llama 3.1 8B about 6.2 GB. At Q8 it is 11 GB versus 10 GB.

Can I run Qwen3 8B and Llama 3.1 8B on a 12 GB GPU?

On an RTX 3060 12 GB, Qwen3 8B runs fully at Q8_0 (about 27 tokens per second) and Llama 3.1 8B runs fully at Q8_0 (about 28 tokens per second).

More comparisons

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Estimates from memory size and bandwidth at 8K context. Real speed varies with software, drivers and settings.