DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Qwen3.5 4B DFlash
Side-by-side comparison of VRAM requirements, quantization, context length, and hardware compatibility.
Specifications
| DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B | Qwen3.5 4B DFlash | |
|---|---|---|
| Parameters | 1.5B | 537M |
| Context | — | 262K |
| Architecture | — | DFlashDraftModel |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Downloads | 32.8K | 337 |
| Released | Sep 2025 | Mar 2026 |
VRAM by Quantization: DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Qwen3.5 4B DFlash
| Quantization | Bits | DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B VRAM | Qwen3.5 4B DFlash VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 3.40 | 0.7 GB | 0.6 GB |
| Q3_K_M | 3.90 | 0.8 GB | 0.6 GB |
| Q3_K_S | 3.50 | — | 0.6 GB |
| Q4_K_M | 4.80 | 1.0 GB | 0.7 GB |
| Q5_K_M | 5.70 | 1.2 GB | 0.7 GB |
| Q6_K | 6.60 | 1.4 GB | 0.8 GB |
| Q8_0 | 8.00 | 1.6 GB | 0.9 GB |
Verdict
Qwen3.5 4B DFlash needs less VRAM at Q4_K_M (0.7 GB vs 1.0 GB), so it fits on smaller GPUs. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B is the more widely downloaded of the two.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which needs less VRAM, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B or Qwen3.5 4B DFlash?
At Q4_K_M, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B needs 1.0 GB and Qwen3.5 4B DFlash needs 0.7 GB, so Qwen3.5 4B DFlash is the lighter option to run locally.
- What is the difference between DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B and Qwen3.5 4B DFlash?
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B is a 1.5B model from litert-community (Qwen family), while Qwen3.5 4B DFlash is a 537M model from z-lab (Qwen family). Compare their VRAM requirements above to see which fits your GPU or Mac.