Intel · Alchemist · 8 GB VRAM tier
Best AI Models for Intel Arc A580 (8 GB)
Runs 7–9B models well; 14B doesn't fit in 8 GB.
8 GB fits ~7-8B Q4 models. Runs through llama.cpp's Vulkan or SYCL backends; Intel's IPEX-LLM is no longer maintained.
| # | Model | Speed | llmrun Score | Quant · VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.5 9BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 40.3 t/s | 40.3 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB | |
| 2 | Qwen3.5 4BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 78.5 t/s | 78.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB | |
| 3 | Gemma 2 9B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 7.3 GB · 42.0 t/s | 42.0 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 7.3 GB | |
| 4 | Gemma 3 4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB · 90.1 t/s | 90.1 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB | |
| 5 | Ling 3.0 TinyInclusion AI Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB · 118 t/s | 118 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB |
| # | Model | Speed | Reasoning Score | Quant · VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.5 9BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 40.3 t/s | 40.3 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB | |
| 2 | Gemma 3 4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB · 90.1 t/s | 90.1 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB | |
| 3 | Qwen2.5 7B InstructAlibaba Q4_K_M · 5.8 GB · 51.3 t/s | 51.3 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.8 GB | |
| 4 | Gemma 2 9B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 7.3 GB · 42.0 t/s | 42.0 tok/s | overall | Q4_K_M · 7.3 GB |
| 5 | Ling 3.0 TinyInclusion AI Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB · 118 t/s | 118 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB |
| # | Model | Speed | Long context Score | Quant · VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.5 4BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 78.5 t/s | 78.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB | |
| 2 | Qwen3.5 9BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 40.3 t/s | 40.3 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB | |
| 3 | Gemma 4 E4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 5.6 GB · 48.1 t/s | 48.1 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.6 GB | |
| 4 | Ling 3.0 TinyInclusion AI Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB · 118 t/s | 118 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB | |
| 5 | Spark X2.6 4BXHToken Q4_K_M · 4.3 GB · 86.5 t/s | 86.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 4.3 GB |
| # | Model | Speed ↓ | llmrun Score | Quant · VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.5 4BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 78.5 t/s | 78.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB | |
| 2 | Ling 3.0 TinyInclusion AI Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB · 118 t/s | 118 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB | |
| 3 | Gemma 4 E4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 5.6 GB · 48.1 t/s | 48.1 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.6 GB | |
| 4 | Q4_K_M · 6.5 GB · 41.2 t/s | 41.2 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 6.5 GB | |
| 5 | Qwen3.5 9BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 40.3 t/s | 40.3 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB |
| # | Model | Speed | Vision Score | Quant · VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.5 9BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 40.3 t/s | 40.3 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB | |
| 2 | Qwen3.5 4BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 78.5 t/s | 78.5 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB | |
| 3 | Gemma 3 4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB · 90.1 t/s | 90.1 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB | |
| 4 | Q4_K_M · 6.5 GB · 41.2 t/s | 41.2 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 6.5 GB | |
| 5 | MiniCPM V 4.7 1BOpenBMB Q4_K_M · 1.6 GB · 200 t/s | 200 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 1.6 GB |
The Arc A580 is an entry card in the 8 GB class: it runs 7–9B models well. It is more efficient per watt than most 8 GB cards. Alchemist generation, released 2023.
Arc A580 strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Runs 7–9B models: Qwen3.5 9B at 40.3 tok/s in 6.6 GB
Weaknesses
- 14B models don't fit: Qwen3 14B needs 11.9 GB at Q4 vs 8 GB here
- Little room for context: Qwen3.5 9B uses 6.6 of 8 GB, 1.4 GB left
- oneAPI, not CUDA: No FP8 or NVFP4 weights and no vLLM AWQ or GPTQ; use GGUF builds
Speed per dollar and per watt
On Qwen3.5 9B (9B params) at Q4_K_M. New prices are compared with new, used with used. The last two columns are the speed you get per $100 of price and per 100 W of board power; higher is better. The Arc A580 has no current price, so it is shown at its MSRP.
| Card | New price | tok/s | tok/s per $100 | tok/s per 100 W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Arc A5808 GB | about $179 | 40.3 | 22.5 | 21.8 |
RTX 50608 GBBest new value | about $460 | 45.8 | 10.0 | 31.6 |
RTX 507012 GB | about $840 | 68.7 | 8.2 | 27.5 |
RTX 40608 GB | about $520 | 27.8 | 5.3 | 24.2 |
| Card | Used price | tok/s | tok/s per $100 | tok/s per 100 W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
RTX 3060 12GB12 GB | about $329 | 36.8 | 11.2 | 21.6 |
RTX 50608 GBBest used value | about $430 | 45.8 | 10.7 | 31.6 |
RTX 507012 GB | about $736 | 68.7 | 9.3 | 27.5 |
RTX 407012 GB | about $575 | 51.5 | 9.0 | 25.8 |
RTX 40608 GB | about $335 | 27.8 | 8.3 | 24.2 |
RTX 4070 SUPER12 GB | about $675 | 51.5 | 7.6 | 23.4 |
RTX 4060 Ti 8GB8 GB | about $400 | 29.4 | 7.4 | 18.4 |
RTX 4070 Ti12 GB | about $722 | 51.5 | 7.1 | 18.1 |
Cost per token: the Arc A580 against 8–12 GB cards
On Qwen3.5 9B (9B params, Q4_K_M, 4K context). Speed, cost per token and power per token depend on the model.
Each dot is a card; hover or tap it for its numbers, click to open it. Cards without a price for the chosen basis are left out. How we calculate cost per token
Cards people weigh against the Arc A580, each with the one reason it is worth a look. Speeds on Qwen3.5 9B.
Output speed depends on memory bandwidth (512 GB/s). Grey rows need more than 8 GB.
- 9BQwen3.5 9B · Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB40.3tok/s
- 14BQwen3 14B · not at 4-bitneeds 11.9 GB
- 27–31BQwen3.8 27B · not at 4-bitneeds 17.9 GB
- 35B MoEQwen3.6 35B A3B · not at 4-bitneeds 22.0 GB
- 70BLlama 3.3 70B Instruct · not at 4-bitneeds 51.3 GB
- 120B MoEGPT OSS 120B · not at 4-bitneeds 70.8 GB
Estimated speeds: Q4_K_M, 4K context, one user. How we estimate
All 842 models on the Arc A580
Featured onlyBest quant that fits, ordered by llmrun Score. Fit grades how well it runs here, S best. How ranking works
| Model | Quant | VRAM | Speed | Context | Score | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4_K_M | 4.8 GB | 97.0 t/s | — | S90, Runs great | ||
Sevclassifier Jev Style 1.5BChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 1.7 GB | 200.0 t/s | 33K | S100, Runs great | |
Gemma 4 12B ITChatFunctions | Q3_K_L | 8.0 GB | 35.7 t/s | 262K | C42, Usable | |
| Q4_K_M | 1.5 GB | 216.9 t/s | 1049K | S100, Runs great | ||
| Q4_K_M | 0.4 GB | 656.4 t/s | 2K | S100, Runs great | ||
LensVLM 9BVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 6.5 GB | 41.2 t/s | 262K | A74, Runs well | |
| Q4_K_M | 0.9 GB | 371.0 t/s | 262K | S100, Runs great | ||
| Q4_K_M | 0.5 GB | 581.8 t/s | 262K | S100, Runs great | ||
HARP 1BChatCode | Q4_K_M | 0.4 GB | 656.4 t/s | 1K | S100, Runs great | |
| Q4_K_M | 1.9 GB | 170.7 t/s | 262K | S98, Runs great | ||
Granite 4.1 3BChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 3.7 GB | 102.0 t/s | 131K | S92, Runs great | |
| BF16 | 0.4 GB | 595.3 t/s | 1K | S100, Runs great | ||
Nanbeige4.2 3BChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 3.5 GB | 88.6 t/s | 262K | S89, Runs great | |
Ornith 1.5 9B OBLITERATEDChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 6.6 GB | 40.3 t/s | 262K | A71, Runs well | |
JevK5ChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 3.2 GB | 85.6 t/s | 262K | S88, Runs great |
Specs
- Architecture
- Alchemist
- VRAM
- 8 GB GDDR6
- Memory bandwidth
- 512.0 GB/s
- FP16 (dense)
- 98.50 TFLOPS
- Stream processors
- 3,072
- Tensor cores
- 384
- TDP
- 185 W
- Released
- 2023-10-10
- MSRP
- $179
Arc A580 FAQ
What is the largest model the Arc A580 can run?
Qwen3.5 9B (9.7B) is the largest at 4-bit or better: at Q4_K_M it uses 6.6 GB of 8 GB, and runs at about 40.3 tok/s.
Can the Arc A580 run 14B models?
No. Qwen3 14B needs 11.9 GB at Q4, more than the 8 GB on this card.
How many tokens per second does the Arc A580 give?
About 40.3 tok/s on Qwen3.5 9B at Q4_K_M, with the first token after 4.5 s on a 4K-token prompt.
What power supply does the Arc A580 need?
Plan a 400 W PSU (2× the 185 W TDP).
Is renting cheaper than buying an Arc A580?
An RTX 3090 (24 GB) rents from $0.14/hr. Renting costs as much as buying after ≈1,300 hours (≈0.9 years at 4 h a day).