Granite 4.2 3B — Hardware Requirements & GPU Compatibility
ChatReasoningFunctions
Granite 4.2 3B is a 3.7B-parameter open language model from IBM in the Granite family. It supports a context window of up to 131,072 tokens. At Q4_K_M it needs about 2.66 GB of VRAM — see which GPUs and Macs can run it below.
Runs great on a 24 GB GPU
Runs from 8 GB (Q4_K_M · 64K)Best on 24 GB (Q4_K_M · ~246 tok/s · 128K)Macs from 8 GB (Q4_K_M · ~27 tok/s)
Apache 2.0
Reference GPU · RTX 4090 24 GB
Estimates, ±20% · how we estimate
Run Granite 4.2 3B
One recommended way. Every other method, OS and quant is in the step-by-step guide.
Recommended
ollama run granite4.2:3bQ4_K_M fits fully on the RTX 4090 · 20.2 GB free · 16K context
Download: Weights on Hugging Face
Other ways
each opens step-by-stepRun in cloud
Fits on RTX 3060 12GB (8 GB headroom) · Q4_K_M
- Generation speed
- ~88 tok/s
- generation speed
- Cost per 1M output tokens
- $0.22
- per 1M output tokens
How Much VRAM Does Granite 4.2 3B Need?
Select a quantization level; the listed hardware adheres to it.
| Quantization | VRAM | +32K | On RTX 4090 (reference) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 GB | 4.5 GB | 2-bit · K-quant — 2-bit quantization with K-quant improvements | Fits: 128K context · ~324 tok/s | |
| 2.3 GB | 4.8 GB | 3-bit medium — 3-bit medium quantization | Fits: 128K context · ~291 tok/s | |
| 2.7 GB | 5.2 GB | 4-bit medium — 4-bit medium quantization — most popular sweet spot | Fits: 128K context · ~246 tok/s | |
| 3.1 GB | 5.6 GB | 5-bit medium — 5-bit medium quantization — good quality/size tradeoff | Fits: 128K context · ~213 tok/s | |
| 3.5 GB | 6 GB | 6-bit, very good — 6-bit quantization, very good quality | Fits: 128K context · ~188 tok/s | |
| 4.1 GB | 6.7 GB | 8-bit, near-lossless — 8-bit quantization, near-lossless | Fits: 128K context · ~159 tok/s | |
| 7.8 GB | 10.3 GB | 16-bit · bfloat — Brain floating point 16 — preferred for training | Fits: 128K context · ~84 tok/s |
Selected Q4_K_M
4-bit medium quantization3.8GBat 16K context
- Weights
- 2.2 GB
- KV cache
- 1.3 GB
- Overhead
- 0.3 GB
Fits RTX 4090 (reference) · 20.2 GB free · ~246 tok/s
≥50 tok/s needs ≥204 GB/s · RTX 5090 ~438, RTX 3090 Ti ~246
Which Hardware Can Run Granite 4.2 3B?
Q4_K_M · 2.7 GBGranite 4.2 3B (Q4_K_M) requires 2.7 GB of VRAM to load the model weights. For comfortable inference with headroom for KV cache and system overhead, 4+ GB is recommended. Using the full 131K context window can add up to 10.6 GB, bringing total usage to 13.2 GB. 52 GPUs can run it, including NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. 163 devices with unified memory can run Granite 4.2 3B, including Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 256GB), Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 512GB).
≤ 11 GB
≤ 11 GB tier →fits · 4.2 GB free · up to 64K ctx
16 GPUs · 1 Mac class · 2 device families
RTX 3080~186Simulate output on RTX 3080RTX 2080 Ti~151Simulate output on RTX 2080 TiRTX 3070 Ti~149Simulate output on RTX 3070 TiM3*8 GB~27Simulate output on iMac 24" M3 (8 GB)Orin Nano~25Simulate output on NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano 8GB (Super)iPhone~18Simulate output on iPhone 1720 GB
fits · 16.2 GB free · up to 128K ctx
1 GPU
RX 7900 XT~181Simulate output on RX 7900 XT32–40 GB
fits · 28.2 GB free · up to 128K ctx
1 GPU · 3 Mac classes · 4 device families
RTX 5090~438Simulate output on RTX 5090M5 Max36 GB~121Simulate output on Mac Studio M5 Max (36 GB)M532 GB~40Simulate output on MacBook Air 13" M5 (32 GB)Orin~50Simulate output on NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 32GBSnapdragon X Elite (X1E-80-100)~33Simulate output on Snapdragon X Elite Copilot+ PC
By VRAM tier · typical GPUs and Macs at Q4_K_M
How good is Granite 4.2 3B?
llmrun Score blends public benchmark boards into one number; 100 = the average open model.
Not enough data yet for an llmrun Score.
A Score needs results on enough independent boards. How the Composite Score is built
Benchmarks
This is the single board showing results for this model; badges show who ran the test.
- LMArena Text
LMArena · Oct 2026Arena
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Alternatives to Granite 4.2 3B
Granite family · 26 models →Similar models
6| Model | Score | VRAM | tok/s | Why it is similar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phi 4 Mini ReasoningMicrosoft | — | 4.8 GB | ~228 | same size |
| Qwen2.5 VL 3B InstructAlibaba | — | 3.2 GB | ~249 | same size |
| Phi 3 Mini 4k InstructMicrosoft | — | 4.2 GB | ~193 | same size |
| Nanbeige4.1 3BNanbeige | — | 3.7 GB | ~235 | same size |
| Gemma 3 4B T1 ITtwinkle-ai | — | 3.4 GB | ~220 | same size |
| MediPhi InstructMicrosoft | — | 9 GB | ~193 | same size |
Fine-tunes & variants(1)
Specifications
- Publisher
- IBM
- Family
- Granite
- Parameters
- 3.7B
- Architecture
- GraniteForCausalLM
- Context Length
- 131,072 tokens
- Vocabulary Size
- 100,352
- Release Date
- 2026-08-07
- License
- Apache 2.0
Frequently Asked Questions
How much VRAM does Granite 4.2 3B need?
Granite 4.2 3B requires 2.7 GB of VRAM at Q4_K_M, or 7.8 GB at BF16. Full 131K context adds up to 10.6 GB (13.2 GB total).
VRAM = Weights + KV Cache + Overhead
Weights = 3.7B × 4.8 bits ÷ 8 = 2.2 GB
KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 0.5 GB (at 2K context + ~0.3 GB framework)
Fit ratings and hardware model lists check this model with room for a 16K-token context, which needs a little more memory.
KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 11 GB (at full 131K context)
VRAM usage by quantization
What's the best quantization for Granite 4.2 3B?
For Granite 4.2 3B, Q4_K_M (2.7 GB) offers the best balance of quality and VRAM usage. Q5_K_M (3.1 GB) provides better quality if you have the VRAM. The smallest option is Q2_K at 2.0 GB.
VRAM requirement by quantization
★ Recommended — best balance of quality and VRAM usage.
Can I run Granite 4.2 3B on a Mac?
Yes — MacBook Air 13" M3 (8 GB) and 145 other Macs can run Granite 4.2 3B. Apple Silicon uses unified memory, so the model shares RAM with the system. At Q4_K_M you need at least 2.7 GB of usable unified memory (RAM minus macOS overhead).
Can I run Granite 4.2 3B locally?
Yes — Granite 4.2 3B can run locally on consumer hardware. Popular tools include Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp.
How fast is Granite 4.2 3B?
At Q4_K_M, Granite 4.2 3B can reach ~1805 tok/s on AMD Instinct MI350X. On NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090: ~246 tok/s. Speed depends mainly on GPU memory bandwidth. Real-world results typically within ±20%.
tok/s = (bandwidth GB/s ÷ model GB) × efficiency
Example: NVIDIA B200 → 8000 ÷ 2.66 × 0.65 = ~1955 tok/s
Estimated speed at Q4_K_M (2.7 GB)
Real-world results typically within ±20%. Speed depends on batch size, quantization kernel, and software stack.
What's the download size of Granite 4.2 3B?
At Q4_K_M, the download is about 2.20 GB. The full-precision BF16 version is 7.32 GB. The smallest option (Q2_K) is 1.56 GB.
Which GPUs can run Granite 4.2 3B?
52 consumer GPUs can run Granite 4.2 3B at Q4_K_M. Top options include AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, AMD Radeon RX 6800, AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. 52 GPUs have plenty of headroom for comfortable inference.
Which devices can run Granite 4.2 3B?
163 devices with unified memory can run Granite 4.2 3B at Q4_K_M (2.7 GB), including AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (Strix Point) Laptop, ASUS Ascent GX10, Beelink GTR9 Pro (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128 GB), Framework Desktop (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128 GB). Apple Silicon Macs use unified memory shared between CPU and GPU, making them well-suited for local LLM inference.