Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct vs Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct
Side-by-side comparison of VRAM requirements, quantization, context length, and hardware compatibility.
Specifications
| Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct | Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct | |
|---|---|---|
| Parameters | 14.0B | 7.4B |
| Context | 4K | 8K |
| Architecture | Phi3ForCausalLM | Phi3SmallForCausalLM |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Downloads | 11.3K | 17.2K |
| Released | Dec 2025 | — |
VRAM by Quantization: Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct vs Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct
| Quantization | Bits | Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct VRAM | Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| BF16 | 16.00 | 28.6 GB | 15.3 GB |
Verdict
Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct needs less VRAM at BF16 (15.3 GB vs 28.6 GB), so it fits on smaller GPUs. Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct supports a longer context window (8K tokens). Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct is the more widely downloaded of the two.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which needs less VRAM, Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct or Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct?
At BF16, Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct needs 28.6 GB and Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct needs 15.3 GB, so Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct is the lighter option to run locally.
- Which has a longer context window, Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct or Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct?
Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct supports 4,096 tokens and Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct supports 8,192 tokens.
- What is the difference between Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct and Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct?
Phi 3 Medium 4k Instruct is a 14.0B model from Microsoft (Phi 3 family), while Phi 3 Small 8k Instruct is a 7.4B model from Microsoft (Phi 3 family). Compare their VRAM requirements above to see which fits your GPU or Mac.