llmrun

GPU memory size · 8 cards·368 featured models fit

Best LLMs for 48 GB VRAM

Runs 27–31B and 35B MoE models well; 70B only just fits in 48 GB.

Speeds onRTX 6000 Ada Generation

Top models by task

#ModelSpeed on RTX 6000 Ada Generationllmrun ScoreQuant · VRAM
1
Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 35.8 t/s
35.8 tok/sQ4_K_M · 17.9 GB
2
Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB · 35.8 t/s
35.8 tok/sQ4_K_M · 17.9 GB
3
Q4_K_M · 21.7 GB · 30.6 t/s
30.6 tok/sQ4_K_M · 21.7 GB
4
Q4_K_M · 16.5 GB · 165 t/s
165 tok/sQ4_K_M · 16.5 GB
5
Q4_K_M · 19.3 GB · 193 t/s
193 tok/sQ4_K_M · 19.3 GB
See all 368 models that fit 48 GB →Best quant that fits · speeds on the RTX 6000 Ada Generation

GPUs with 48 GB VRAM

Compare all GPUs →

Popular cards come first. Picks need a widely used card and a reasonable price.

Speed, price and value

Speed on Qwen3.5 9B (9B params) at Q4_K_M. New prices are compared with new, used with used; a card without a price for the view is shown at its MSRP. The last two columns are the speed you get per $100 of price and per 100 W of board power; higher is better.

CardGB/sNew pricetok/stok/s per $100tok/s per 100 W
8 more cards with 48 GB · less common or unpriced cards, not picked
CardGB/sUsed pricetok/stok/s per $100tok/s per 100 W
8 more cards with 48 GB · less common or unpriced cards, not picked

Nearby memory sizes

Next sizes down and up, plus why they're worth checking out. Speeds on Qwen3.5 9B.

Models that fit in 48 GB VRAM

Featured only

1216 models. Best quant that fits with a 16K context, ordered by llmrun Score (100 = average model). Fit grades how well it runs, S best. How ranking works

LLM models compatible with RTX 6000 Ada Generation — ranked by Score, recency and Fit
ModelVRAMScoreFit
Q4_K_M·1950.0 t/s
0.3 GBS100, Runs great
Falcon H1 7B Instruct
Q4_K_M·123.8 t/s
6.3 GBS95, Runs great
Q4_K_M·2080.0 t/s
0.3 GBS100, Runs great
Q4_K_M·215.2 t/s
4.2 GBS100, Runs great
Q4_K_M·167.2 t/s
19.1 GBS98, Runs great
Qwen3.5 9B Abliterated
Q4_K_M·105.1 t/s
6.2 GBS92, Runs great
Sweep Next Edit v2 7B
Q4_K_M·125.1 t/s
5.8 GBS95, Runs great
Q4_K_M·182.8 t/s
13.1 GBS99, Runs great
BF16·2012.9 t/s
0.3 GBS100, Runs great
Hermes 3 Llama 3.1 8B
Q4_K_M·115.8 t/s
7.3 GBS94, Runs great
Q4_K_M·583.2 t/s
1.2 GBS100, Runs great
XCurOS0.1 8B Instruct
BF16·39.9 t/s
16.5 GBA75, Runs well
OvisOCR2
Q4_K_M·725.6 t/s
0.9 GBS100, Runs great
Q4_K_M·33.0 t/s
19.1 GBA72, Runs well
Q4_K_M·182.9 t/s
19.9 GBS99, Runs great

What fits in 48 GB, and what doesn't

Tokens per second by model size. Grey rows need more than 48 GB.

  1. 9BQwen3.5 9B · Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
    98.1tok/s
  2. 14BQwen3 14B · Q4_K_M · 11.9 GB
    65.7tok/s
  3. 27–31BQwen3.8 27B · Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB
    35.8tok/s
  4. 35B MoEQwen3.6 35B A3B · Q4_K_M · 22.0 GB
    146tok/s
  5. 70BLlama 3.3 70B Instruct · IQ4_XS · 46.4 GB tight · 97%
    15.0tok/s
  6. 120B MoEGPT OSS 120B · not at 4-bit
    needs 70.8 GB

Speed estimates for the RTX 6000 Ada Generation: Q4_K_M, 4K context, single user. How we estimate

48 GB on a Mac or mini PC

Macs keep 3.5 GB for the system, so a Mac needs 64 GB to match a 48 GB card (60.5 GB usable). They run the same models slower because memory bandwidth is lower.

DeviceUsableBandwidthSpeed on Qwen3.8 27B
Mac Pro M2 Ultra (64 GB)M2 Ultra · 64 GB memory
60.5 GB800 GB/s32.1 tok/s
Mac Studio M1 Ultra (64 GB)M1 Ultra · 64 GB memory
60.5 GB800 GB/s32.1 tok/s
Mac Studio M5 Max (64 GB)M5 Max · 64 GB memory
60.5 GB614 GB/s24.7 tok/s
Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB)M4 Max · 64 GB memory
60.5 GB546 GB/s21.9 tok/s

48 GB VRAM FAQ

What models can I run with 48 GB of VRAM?

Models up to the 70B class. 259 of 368 featured models run great. The top pick is Qwen3.8 27B at Q4_K_M: it needs 17.9 GB and runs at about 35.8 tok/s on the RTX 6000 Ada Generation. Qwen3.6 35B A3B and Gemma 4 26B A4B IT also run well.

Is 48 GB enough for 120B MoE models?

No. GPT OSS 120B needs 70.8 GB at Q4, more than 48 GB. Rent a bigger card by the hour, or look at a Mac with more memory.

How fast is a 48 GB card?

On the RTX 6000 Ada Generation, Qwen3.5 9B runs at about 98.1 tok/s and Qwen3.8 27B at about 35.8 tok/s. Older and cheaper cards are slower: speed follows memory bandwidth, not memory size.

Is a 48 GB Mac the same as a 48 GB GPU?

No. A Mac keeps about 3.5 GB for the system, so you need a 64 GB Mac to match. It is also slower: the Mac Pro M2 Ultra (64 GB) runs Qwen3.8 27B at about 32.1 tok/s.