SmolLM 1.7B GGUF — Hardware Requirements & GPU Compatibility
ChatSpecifications
- Publisher
- mradermacher
- Parameters
- 1.7B
- License
- Apache 2.0
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HuggingFace
How Much VRAM Does SmolLM 1.7B GGUF Need?
Select a quantization to see compatible GPUs below.
| Quantization | Bits | VRAM | + Context | File Size | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BF16 | 16.00 | 3.7 GB | — | 3.40 GB | Brain floating point 16 — preferred for training |
Which GPUs Can Run SmolLM 1.7B GGUF?
BF16 · 3.7 GBSmolLM 1.7B GGUF (BF16) requires 3.7 GB of VRAM to load the model weights. For comfortable inference with headroom for KV cache and system overhead, 5+ GB is recommended. 35 GPUs can run it, including NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti.
Runs great
— Plenty of headroomWhich Devices Can Run SmolLM 1.7B GGUF?
BF16 · 3.7 GB33 devices with unified memory can run SmolLM 1.7B GGUF, including NVIDIA DGX H100, NVIDIA DGX A100 640GB.
Runs great
— Plenty of headroomRelated Models
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much VRAM does SmolLM 1.7B GGUF need?
SmolLM 1.7B GGUF requires 3.7 GB of VRAM at BF16.
VRAM = Weights + KV Cache + Overhead
Weights = 1.7B × 16 bits ÷ 8 = 3.4 GB
KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 0.3 GB (at 2K context + ~0.3 GB framework)
VRAM usage by quantization
BF163.7 GB- Can I run SmolLM 1.7B GGUF on a Mac?
SmolLM 1.7B GGUF requires at least 3.7 GB at BF16, 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 SmolLM 1.7B GGUF locally?
Yes — SmolLM 1.7B GGUF can run locally on consumer hardware. At BF16 quantization it needs 3.7 GB of VRAM. Popular tools include Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp.
- How fast is SmolLM 1.7B GGUF?
At BF16, SmolLM 1.7B GGUF can reach ~779 tok/s on AMD Instinct MI300X. On NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090: ~175 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 ÷ 3.7 × 0.55 = ~779 tok/s
Estimated speed at BF16 (3.7 GB)
AMD Instinct MI300X~779 tok/sNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090~175 tok/sNVIDIA H100 SXM~583 tok/sAMD Instinct MI250X~482 tok/sReal-world results typically within ±20%. Speed depends on batch size, quantization kernel, and software stack.
- What's the download size of SmolLM 1.7B GGUF?
At BF16, the download is about 3.40 GB.
- Which GPUs can run SmolLM 1.7B GGUF?
35 consumer GPUs can run SmolLM 1.7B GGUF at BF16 (3.7 GB). Top options include AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, AMD Radeon RX 6800, AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. 35 GPUs have plenty of headroom for comfortable inference.
- Which devices can run SmolLM 1.7B GGUF?
33 devices with unified memory can run SmolLM 1.7B GGUF at BF16 (3.7 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.