How much VRAM does Phi-3.5 Mini need?

Phi-3.5 Mini requires 2.3 GB VRAM to run at Q4 quantization (recommended), 3.8 GB for Q8, and 7.6 GB for full FP16 precision. The minimum is 1.2 GB at Q2 with some quality loss.

What GPU do I need for Phi-3.5 Mini?

You need at least 2.3 GB VRAM to run Phi-3.5 Mini at Q4 quantization. 40 consumer GPUs are compatible. The most popular choice is an NVIDIA RTX-class GPU with 2.3+ GB VRAM.

Is Phi-3.5 Mini free to use?

Phi-3.5 Mini by Microsoft is available under the MIT license. Check the license terms for commercial use restrictions. You can download and run it for free with Ollama: ollama run phi3.5:3.8b

CPU-capable model ready

Phi-3.5 Mini

Name: Phi-3.5 Mini
Author: Javier Morales

40 consumer GPUs can run Phi-3.5 Mini at Q4 natively. Precise VRAM thresholds and benchmarks below.

40 Compatible GPUs

3.8B params

128K context

Top pick

RTX 5090 · 32 GB VRAM runs Q4 natively

Check availability See top 3 ↓

Prices and availability may change · affiliate link

Javier Morales AI hardware specialist — 8 years of experience Updated 2026-04-08

GitHub: github.com/javier-morales-ia

llama.cpp 0.2.x · CUDA 12 · ROCm 6 · updated monthly · methodology →

Execution Context

ARCHITECTURE TRANSFORMER

CONTEXT 128K TOKENS

QUANTIZATION 4-BIT GGUF

PROVIDER Microsoft

LICENSE MIT

Hardware Decision

This model requires aEntry GPU (8 GB VRAM)

Minimum

GTX 1660 Super

Runs at Q4 — functional, some wait

6 GB VRAM

View compatible setup

Balanced

RTX 4060 Ti 16GB

Best value for daily use

16 GB VRAM

View compatible setup

Optimal

RTX 5090

Full quality, fastest inference

32 GB VRAM

View compatible setup

Compatible GPUs for Phi-3.5 Mini

Best picks by compatibility, VRAM headroom, and value — prices and availability may change.

32 GB VRAM · Q4 native Amazon

RTX 5090

4.0 (61 reviews)

Pros

Runs Phi-3.5 Mini at Q4 natively
32 GB VRAM — adequate headroom

24 GB VRAM · Q4 native Amazon

RTX 4090

4.7 (207 reviews)

Pros

Runs Phi-3.5 Mini at Q4 natively
24 GB VRAM — adequate headroom

128 GB VRAM · Q4 native Amazon

M4 Ultra

0.0 (0 reviews)

Pros

Runs Phi-3.5 Mini at Q4 natively
128 GB VRAM — adequate headroom

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How to run this model

CPU vs GPU for Phi-3.5 Mini →

VRAM Calculator — instant compatibility check

RTX 5090

32 GB · Runs Q4 natively · Check availability

*Prices and availability may change. Some links are affiliate links.

System Requirements

GPU VRAM 2.3 GB Entry GPU

System RAM 16 GB DDR4/DDR5

Storage 2.2 GB Q4 · SSD recommended

CPU i7 → 13 tok/s Runs without GPU

VRAM by Quantization

Quantization	VRAM needed	Disk space	Quality
FP16 (max quality)	7.6 GB	7.6 GB	Maximum
Q8 (high quality)	3.8 GB	3.8 GB	Near-lossless
Q4 (recommended) Best balance	2.3 GB	2.2 GB	Recommended
Q2 (minimum)	1.2 GB	1.2 GB	Quality loss

Model Details

Developer	Microsoft
Parameters	3.8B
Context window	128,000 tokens
License	MIT
Use cases	chat, coding, reasoning
Released	2024-08

Install with Ollama

ollama run phi3.5:3.8b

Hugging Face

microsoft/Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

View on HF →

Technical Requirements

Can your GPU run Phi-3.5 Mini?

Phi-3.5 Mini requires <strong class="text-primary-container">2.3 GB VRAM</strong> at Q4. 40 consumer GPUs meet this threshold. Below 8 GB or 0.2999999999999998 GB you'll hit significant offload latency.

RTX 5090 (32 GB) RTX 4090 (24 GB) M4 Ultra (128 GB)

1.2GB Critical min

2.3GB Optimal Q4

3.8GB High Quality Q8

7.6GB Max FP16

Hardware Performance Matrix

40 Q4 native · 0 offload

GPU Unit	VRAM	Compatibility	Est. Speed	Action
RTX 5090	32GB	Optimal	191 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 4090	24GB	Optimal	179 tok/s	Calculate →
M4 Ultra	128GB	Optimal	182 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 5080	16GB	Optimal	178 tok/s	Calculate →
M3 Ultra	192GB	Optimal	153 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 4080 Super	16GB	Optimal	138 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 5070 Ti	16GB	Optimal	165 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 3090	24GB	Optimal	171 tok/s	Calculate →
M4 Max 48GB	48GB	Optimal	105 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 7900 XTX	24GB	Optimal	176 tok/s	Calculate →
M4 Max 36GB	36GB	Optimal	104 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 4070 Ti Super	16GB	Optimal	125 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 3080 Ti	12GB	Optimal	157 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 7900 XT	20GB	Optimal	147 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 5070	12GB	Optimal	124 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 3080	10GB	Optimal	137 tok/s	Calculate →
M4 Pro	24GB	Optimal	55 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 7800 XT	16GB	Optimal	114 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 6800 XT	16GB	Optimal	93 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 4070	12GB	Optimal	93 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 4060 Ti 16GB	16GB	Optimal	55 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 7700 XT	12GB	Optimal	79 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 3070 Ti	8GB	Optimal	111 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 4060 Ti	8GB	Optimal	55 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 3070	8GB	Optimal	82 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 6700 XT	12GB	Optimal	69 tok/s	Calculate →
M3 Pro	18GB	Optimal	32 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 3060 Ti	8GB	Optimal	82 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 2080 Ti	11GB	Optimal	82 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 3060	12GB	Optimal	67 tok/s	Calculate →
M2 Pro	16GB	Optimal	39 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 4060	8GB	Optimal	51 tok/s	Calculate →
Arc A770 16GB	16GB	Optimal	41 tok/s	Calculate →
M1 Pro	16GB	Optimal	38 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 7600	8GB	Optimal	53 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 6600 XT	8GB	Optimal	50 tok/s	Calculate →
Arc A750 8GB	8GB	Optimal	38 tok/s	Calculate →
RX 6600	8GB	Optimal	45 tok/s	Calculate →
RTX 3050 8GB	8GB	Optimal	41 tok/s	Calculate →
GTX 1660 Super	6GB	Optimal	60 tok/s	Calculate →

Recommended GPUs for Phi-3.5 Mini

Real Benchmarks

No Paid Reviews

Editorial Pick

Data-driven

Best picks by compatibility, VRAM headroom, and value — prices and availability may change.

RTX 5090

32 GB VRAM

Q4 native

Check availability →

RTX 4090

24 GB VRAM

Q4 native

Check availability →

M4 Ultra

128 GB VRAM

Q4 native

Check availability →

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Phi-3.5 Mini — Compatibility guide

Phi-3.5 Mini can run on CPU without a dedicated GPU — unusual for a 3.8B model. On an i7-13700K with llama.cpp Q4 it reaches 13 tok/s (functional for occasional use). With a GPU you get 4–6× more speed — check the VRAM calculator for specifics.