BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF — Hardware Requirements & GPU Compatibility
ChatRoleplayBlackSheep RP 12B GGUF is a 12B-parameter open language model from Bartowski. At Q4_K_M it needs about 7.92 GB of VRAM — see which GPUs and Macs can run it below.
Specifications
- Publisher
- Bartowski
- Parameters
- 12B
- Release Date
- 2024-10-06
- License
- artistic-2.0
Get Started
HuggingFace
How Much VRAM Does BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF Need?
Select a quantization to see compatible GPUs below.
| Quantization | Bits | VRAM | + Context | File Size | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 3.40 | 5.6 GB | — | 5.10 GB | 2-bit quantization with K-quant improvements |
| Q3_K_S | 3.50 | 5.8 GB | — | 5.25 GB | 3-bit small quantization |
| Q3_K_M | 3.90 | 6.4 GB | — | 5.85 GB | 3-bit medium quantization |
| Q4_0 | 4.00 | 6.6 GB | — | 6.00 GB | 4-bit legacy quantization |
| Q4_K_M | 4.80 | 7.9 GB | — | 7.20 GB | 4-bit medium quantization — most popular sweet spot |
| Q5_K_M | 5.70 | 9.4 GB | — | 8.55 GB | 5-bit medium quantization — good quality/size tradeoff |
| Q6_K | 6.60 | 10.9 GB | — | 9.90 GB | 6-bit quantization, very good quality |
| Q8_0 | 8.00 | 13.2 GB | — | 12.00 GB | 8-bit quantization, near-lossless |
Which GPUs Can Run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF?
Q4_K_M · 7.9 GBBlackSheep RP 12B GGUF (Q4_K_M) requires 7.9 GB of VRAM to load the model weights. For comfortable inference with headroom for KV cache and system overhead, 11+ GB is recommended. 35 GPUs can run it, including NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080.
Runs great
— Plenty of headroomDecent
— Enough VRAM, may be tightWhich Devices Can Run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF?
Q4_K_M · 7.9 GB33 devices with unified memory can run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF, including NVIDIA DGX H100, NVIDIA DGX A100 640GB, MacBook Air 13" M3 (8 GB).
Runs great
— Plenty of headroomDecent
— Enough memory, may be tightRelated Models
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much VRAM does BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF need?
BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF requires 7.9 GB of VRAM at Q4_K_M, or 13.2 GB at Q8_0.
VRAM = Weights + KV Cache + Overhead
Weights = 12B × 4.8 bits ÷ 8 = 7.2 GB
KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 0.7 GB (at 2K context + ~0.3 GB framework)
VRAM usage by quantization
Q4_K_M7.9 GB- What's the best quantization for BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF?
For BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF, Q4_K_M (7.9 GB) offers the best balance of quality and VRAM usage. Q4_K_L (8.1 GB) provides better quality if you have the VRAM. The smallest option is IQ2_S at 4.1 GB.
VRAM requirement by quantization
IQ2_S4.1 GBQ3_K_S5.8 GBIQ4_XS7.1 GBQ4_K_M ★7.9 GBQ5_K_S9.1 GBQ8_013.2 GB★ Recommended — best balance of quality and VRAM usage.
- Can I run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF on a Mac?
BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF requires at least 4.1 GB at IQ2_S, which exceeds the unified memory of most consumer Macs. You would need a Mac Studio or Mac Pro with a high-memory configuration.
- Can I run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF locally?
Yes — BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF can run locally on consumer hardware. At Q4_K_M quantization it needs 7.9 GB of VRAM. Popular tools include Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp.
- How fast is BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF?
At Q4_K_M, BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF can reach ~368 tok/s on AMD Instinct MI300X. On NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090: ~83 tok/s. Speed depends mainly on GPU memory bandwidth. Real-world results typically within ±20%.
tok/s = (bandwidth GB/s ÷ model GB) × efficiency
Example: AMD Instinct MI300X → 5300 ÷ 7.9 × 0.55 = ~368 tok/s
Estimated speed at Q4_K_M (7.9 GB)
~368 tok/s~83 tok/s~275 tok/s~228 tok/sReal-world results typically within ±20%. Speed depends on batch size, quantization kernel, and software stack.
- What's the download size of BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF?
At Q4_K_M, the download is about 7.20 GB. The full-precision Q8_0 version is 12.00 GB. The smallest option (IQ2_S) is 3.75 GB.
- Which GPUs can run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF?
35 consumer GPUs can run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF at Q4_K_M (7.9 GB). Top options include AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, AMD Radeon RX 6800, AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, AMD Radeon RX 7600. 26 GPUs have plenty of headroom for comfortable inference.
- Which devices can run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF?
33 devices with unified memory can run BlackSheep RP 12B GGUF at Q4_K_M (7.9 GB), including Mac Mini M4 (16 GB), Mac Mini M4 (32 GB), Mac Mini M4 Pro (24 GB), Mac Mini M4 Pro (48 GB). Apple Silicon Macs use unified memory shared between CPU and GPU, making them well-suited for local LLM inference.