llmrun
MuXodiousGPT-OSSGptOssForCausalLM

GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy — Hardware Requirements & GPU Compatibility

ChatFunctions

GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy is a 20.9B-parameter open language model from MuXodious in the GPT-OSS family. It supports a context window of up to 131,072 tokens. At Q4_K_M it needs about 12.92 GB of VRAM — see which GPUs and Macs can run it below.

20.9B params · MoE4.2B active131K contextApache 2.039.6K downloads27 likes3.7K quant downloads
Based on GPT OSS 20B
S

Runs great on a 24 GB GPU

Runs from8 GB IQ2_M · 32KBest on24 GB Q4_K_M · ~190 tok/s · 128KMacs from16 GB Q4_1 · ~45 tok/s

Apache 2.0

Reference GPU · RTX 4090 24 GB

Estimates, ±20% · how we estimate

Run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy

One recommended way. Every other method, OS and quant is in the step-by-step guide.Each way opens a step-by-step guide for your OS and quant.

Recommended

Ollama
one command · needs Ollama installed
$ollama run hf.co/mradermacher/gpt-oss-20b-RichardErkhov-heresy-i1-GGUF:Q4_K_M

Q4_K_M fits fully on the RTX 4090 · 10.9 GB free · 16K context

Download: gpt-oss-20b-RichardErkhov-heresy.i1-Q4_K_M.gguf15.81 GBmradermacher

install, OS, other quants

Ways to runOther ways

each opens step-by-step

Run in cloud

Your own private copy · Q4_K_M · 24 GB GPU

  • The easiest way to try this model
  • Running in a few minutes, easy setup
  • Chat right here or connect any app

$5+ bonus for new users

How Much VRAM Does GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy Need?

Select a quantization level; the listed hardware adheres to it.

QuantizationVRAM+32KOn RTX 4090 (reference)
9.3 GB9.8 GB2-bit · K-quant — 2-bit quantization with K-quant improvementsFits: 128K context · ~241 tok/s
9.5 GB10 GB3-bit small — 3-bit small quantizationFits: 128K context · ~236 tok/s
10.6 GB11.1 GB3-bit medium — 3-bit medium quantizationFits: 128K context · ~220 tok/s
10.8 GB11.3 GB4-bit · legacy — 4-bit legacy quantizationFits: 128K context · ~216 tok/s
12.9 GB13.4 GB4-bit medium — 4-bit medium quantization — most popular sweet spotFits: 128K context · ~190 tok/s
15.3 GB15.8 GB5-bit medium — 5-bit medium quantization — good quality/size tradeoffFits: 128K context · ~167 tok/s
17.6 GB18.1 GB6-bit, very good — 6-bit quantization, very good qualityFits: 128K context · ~149 tok/s
21.3 GB21.8 GB8-bit, near-lossless — 8-bit quantization, near-losslessFits: 128K context · ~128 tok/s

Selected Q4_K_M

4-bit medium quantization

13.1GBat 16K context

Weights
12.6 GB
KV cache
0.3 GB
Overhead
0.3 GB

Fits RTX 4090 (reference) · 10.9 GB free · ~190 tok/s

≥50 tok/s needs ≥213 GB/s · RTX 5090 ~282, RTX 3090 Ti ~190

Which Hardware Can Run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy?

Q4_K_M · 12.9 GB

GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy (Q4_K_M) requires 12.9 GB of VRAM to load the model weights. For comfortable inference with headroom for KV cache and system overhead, 17+ GB is recommended. Using the full 131K context window can add up to 2.2 GB, bringing total usage to 15.1 GB. 26 GPUs can run it, including NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. 125 devices with unified memory can run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy, including Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 256GB), Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 512GB), MacBook Pro 14" M3 Pro (18 GB).

By VRAM tier · typical GPUs and Macs at Q4_K_M
8 GB · RTX 4060IQ2_M · 7.6 GB · ~103 tok/s · 32K8 GB tier →
12 GB · RTX 3060 12GBIQ4_XS · 11.8 GB · ~89 tok/s · 16K12 GB tier →
16 GB · RTX 5060 Ti 16GBQ4_K_M · 13.1 GB · ~98 tok/s · 128K16 GB tier →
24 GB · RTX 4090referenceQ4_K_M · 13.1 GB · ~190 tok/s · 128K24 GB tier →
Mac 32 GB · Mac Mini M4Q4_K_M · 13.1 GB · ~28 tok/s · 128KMacs →
Mac 64 GB · Mac Studio M4 MaxQ4_K_M · 13.1 GB · ~86 tok/s · 128KMacs →

Alternatives to GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy

GPT-OSS family · 14 models →

Similar models

5
ModelScoreVRAMtok/sWhy it is similar
Internlm 20BInternLM—45.3 GB—needs > 24 GBsame size
Tri 21B Thinktrillionlabs—45.1 GB—needs > 24 GBsame size
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B ThinkingBaidu—14.3 GB~213same size
Mistral Small Instruct 2409Mistral AI—17.4 GB~46same size
GPT Neox 20BEleutherAI—13.7 GB~48same size

Specifications

Publisher
MuXodious
Family
GPT-OSS
Parameters
20.9B
Active parameters
4.2B per token
Architecture
GptOssForCausalLM
Context Length
131,072 tokens
Vocabulary Size
201,088
Release Date
2026-02-07
License
Apache 2.0

Frequently Asked Questions

How much VRAM does GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy need?

GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy requires 12.9 GB of VRAM at Q4_K_M, or 42.2 GB at BF16. Full 131K context adds up to 2.2 GB (15.1 GB total).

VRAM = Weights + KV Cache + Overhead

Weights = 20.9B × 4.8 bits ÷ 8 = 12.5 GB

KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 0.4 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 ≈ 2.6 GB (at full 131K context)

VRAM usage by quantization

12.9 GB
15.1 GB

Learn more about VRAM estimation →

Can NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy?

Yes, at Q8_0 (21.3 GB) or lower. Higher quantizations like BF16 (42.2 GB) exceed the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090's 24 GB.

What's the best quantization for GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy?

For GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy, Q4_K_M (12.9 GB) offers the best balance of quality and VRAM usage. Q5_K_S (14.8 GB) provides better quality if you have the VRAM. The smallest option is IQ2_XXS at 6.1 GB.

VRAM requirement by quantization

IQ2_XXS
6.1 GB
IQ3_XS
9.0 GB
Q3_K_M
10.6 GB
Q4_K_M ★
12.9 GB
Q5_K_S
14.8 GB
BF16
42.2 GB

★ Recommended — best balance of quality and VRAM usage.

Learn more about quantization →

Can I run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy on a Mac?

Yes — Mac Mini M2 Pro (16 GB) and 133 other Macs can run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy, the smallest at Q4_1. Apple Silicon uses unified memory, so the model shares RAM with the system. At Q4_K_M you need at least 12.9 GB of usable unified memory (RAM minus macOS overhead), from MacBook Pro 14" M3 Pro (18 GB).

Can I run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy locally?

Yes — GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy can run locally on consumer hardware. Popular tools include Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp.

How fast is GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy?

At Q4_K_M, GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy can reach ~187 tok/s on AMD Instinct MI350X. On NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090: ~190 tok/s. Speed depends mainly on GPU memory bandwidth. Real-world results typically within ±20%.

tok/s = 1000 ÷ (active GB ÷ (bandwidth GB/s × efficiency) × 1000 + layers × routing ms)

Mixture-of-Experts: just the active experts get read for each token, along with a fixed routing cost per layer.

Example: NVIDIA B200 → 2.6 GB active ÷ (8000 × 0.65) = 0.498 ms, plus 24 layers × 0.055 ms = 1.320 ms, so 1000 ÷ 1.818 ms = ~550 tok/s

Estimated speed at Q4_K_M (12.9 GB)

~550 tok/s
~190 tok/s
~550 tok/s
~469 tok/s

Real-world results typically within ±20%. Speed depends on batch size, quantization kernel, and software stack.

Learn more about tok/s estimation →

What's the download size of GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy?

At Q4_K_M, the download is about 12.55 GB. The full-precision BF16 version is 41.83 GB. The smallest option (IQ2_XXS) is 5.75 GB.

Which GPUs can run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy?

26 consumer GPUs can run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy at Q4_K_M. Top options include AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, AMD Radeon RX 6800. 8 GPUs have plenty of headroom for comfortable inference.

Which devices can run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy?

125 devices with unified memory can run GPT OSS 20B RichardErkhov Heresy at Q4_K_M (12.9 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.