Internlm3 8B Instruct — Hardware Requirements & GPU Compatibility
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Internlm3 8B Instruct is a 8.8B-parameter open language model from InternLM in the InternLM family. It supports a context window of up to 32,768 tokens. At Q4_K_M it needs about 5.68 GB of VRAM — see which GPUs and Macs can run it below.
89.5K downloads
232 likesSpecifications
- Publisher
- InternLM
- Family
- InternLM
- Parameters
- 8.8B
- Architecture
- InternLM3ForCausalLM
- Context Length
- 32,768 tokens
- Vocabulary Size
- 128,512
- Release Date
- 2025-02-11
- License
- Apache 2.0
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HuggingFace
How Much VRAM Does Internlm3 8B Instruct Need?
Select a quantization to see compatible GPUs below.
| Quantization | Bits | VRAM | + Context | File Size | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 3.40 | 4.1 GB | 5.7 GB | 3.74 GB | 2-bit quantization with K-quant improvements |
| Q3_K_S | 3.50 | 4.3 GB | 5.8 GB | 3.85 GB | 3-bit small quantization |
| Q3_K_M | 3.90 | 4.7 GB | 6.2 GB | 4.29 GB | 3-bit medium quantization |
| Q4_0 | 4.00 | 4.8 GB | 6.3 GB | 4.40 GB | 4-bit legacy quantization |
| Q4_K_M | 4.80 | 5.7 GB | 7.2 GB | 5.28 GB | 4-bit medium quantization — most popular sweet spot |
| Q5_K_M | 5.70 | 6.7 GB | 8.2 GB | 6.27 GB | 5-bit medium quantization — good quality/size tradeoff |
| Q6_K | 6.60 | 7.7 GB | 9.2 GB | 7.26 GB | 6-bit quantization, very good quality |
| Q8_0 | 8.00 | 9.2 GB | 10.7 GB | 8.80 GB | 8-bit quantization, near-lossless |
Which GPUs Can Run Internlm3 8B Instruct?
Q4_K_M · 5.7 GBInternlm3 8B Instruct (Q4_K_M) requires 5.7 GB of VRAM to load the model weights. For comfortable inference with headroom for KV cache and system overhead, 8+ GB is recommended. Using the full 33K context window can add up to 1.5 GB, bringing total usage to 7.2 GB. 35 GPUs can run it, including NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti.
Runs great
— Plenty of headroom
Which Devices Can Run Internlm3 8B Instruct?
Q4_K_M · 5.7 GB33 devices with unified memory can run Internlm3 8B Instruct, 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
Derivatives (6)
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much VRAM does Internlm3 8B Instruct need?
Internlm3 8B Instruct requires 5.7 GB of VRAM at Q4_K_M, or 9.2 GB at Q8_0. Full 33K context adds up to 1.5 GB (7.2 GB total).
VRAM = Weights + KV Cache + Overhead
Weights = 8.8B × 4.8 bits ÷ 8 = 5.3 GB
KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 0.4 GB (at 2K context + ~0.3 GB framework)
KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 1.9 GB (at full 33K context)
VRAM usage by quantization
Q4_K_M5.7 GBQ4_K_M + full context7.2 GB- What's the best quantization for Internlm3 8B Instruct?
For Internlm3 8B Instruct, Q4_K_M (5.7 GB) offers the best balance of quality and VRAM usage. Q4_K_L (5.8 GB) provides better quality if you have the VRAM. The smallest option is IQ2_M at 3.4 GB.
VRAM requirement by quantization
IQ2_M3.4 GBQ3_K_M4.7 GBIQ4_NL5.3 GBQ4_K_M ★5.7 GBQ5_05.9 GBQ8_09.2 GB★ Recommended — best balance of quality and VRAM usage.
- Can I run Internlm3 8B Instruct on a Mac?
Internlm3 8B Instruct requires at least 3.4 GB at IQ2_M, 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 Internlm3 8B Instruct locally?
Yes — Internlm3 8B Instruct can run locally on consumer hardware. At Q4_K_M quantization it needs 5.7 GB of VRAM. Popular tools include Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp.
- How fast is Internlm3 8B Instruct?
At Q4_K_M, Internlm3 8B Instruct can reach ~513 tok/s on AMD Instinct MI300X. On NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090: ~115 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 ÷ 5.7 × 0.55 = ~513 tok/s
Estimated speed at Q4_K_M (5.7 GB)
~513 tok/s~115 tok/s~384 tok/s~317 tok/sReal-world results typically within ±20%. Speed depends on batch size, quantization kernel, and software stack.
- What's the download size of Internlm3 8B Instruct?
At Q4_K_M, the download is about 5.28 GB. The full-precision Q8_0 version is 8.80 GB. The smallest option (IQ2_M) is 2.97 GB.
- Which GPUs can run Internlm3 8B Instruct?
35 consumer GPUs can run Internlm3 8B Instruct at Q4_K_M (5.7 GB). Top options include AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, AMD Radeon RX 6800, AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, AMD Radeon RX 7600. 28 GPUs have plenty of headroom for comfortable inference.
- Which devices can run Internlm3 8B Instruct?
33 devices with unified memory can run Internlm3 8B Instruct at Q4_K_M (5.7 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.