Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3 30B A3B Base
Side-by-side comparison of VRAM requirements, quantization, context length, and hardware compatibility.
Specifications
| Qwen3 30B A3B | Qwen3 30B A3B Base | |
|---|---|---|
| Parameters | 30.5B | 30.5B |
| Context | 41K | 33K |
| Architecture | Qwen3MoeForCausalLM | Qwen3MoeForCausalLM |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 |
| Downloads | 2.1M | 44.9K |
| Released | Jul 2025 | Jul 2025 |
VRAM by Quantization: Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3 30B A3B Base
| Quantization | Bits | Qwen3 30B A3B VRAM | Qwen3 30B A3B Base VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 3.40 | 13.4 GB | 13.4 GB |
| Q3_K_M | 3.90 | 15.3 GB | 15.3 GB |
| Q3_K_S | 3.50 | 13.8 GB | 13.8 GB |
| Q4_0 | 4.00 | 15.7 GB | 15.7 GB |
| Q4_K_M | 4.80 | 18.7 GB | 18.7 GB |
| Q5_K_M | 5.70 | 22.1 GB | 22.1 GB |
| Q6_K | 6.60 | 25.6 GB | 25.6 GB |
| Q8_0 | 8.00 | 30.9 GB | 30.9 GB |
Verdict
Qwen3 30B A3B supports a longer context window (41K tokens). Qwen3 30B A3B is the more widely downloaded of the two.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which needs less VRAM, Qwen3 30B A3B or Qwen3 30B A3B Base?
At Q4_K_M, Qwen3 30B A3B needs 18.7 GB and Qwen3 30B A3B Base needs 18.7 GB, so Qwen3 30B A3B is the lighter option to run locally.
- Which has a longer context window, Qwen3 30B A3B or Qwen3 30B A3B Base?
Qwen3 30B A3B supports 40,960 tokens and Qwen3 30B A3B Base supports 32,768 tokens.
- What is the difference between Qwen3 30B A3B and Qwen3 30B A3B Base?
Qwen3 30B A3B is a 30.5B model from Alibaba (Qwen family), while Qwen3 30B A3B Base is a 30.5B model from Alibaba (Qwen family). Compare their VRAM requirements above to see which fits your GPU or Mac.