Can I Run DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-14B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070?
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026
These figures are for DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-14B, a distill of Qwen2.5-14B — not the full DeepSeek R1. The full DeepSeek R1 (671B) needs about 405 GB of weights at Q4_K_M and is a different model.
Yes, comfortably — DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 14B at Q4_K_M needs 10.6 GB at 8K context (8.5 GB weights + 2.1 GB KV cache/overhead), leaving ~1.4 GB of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070's 12 GB, at ~46 tok/s (est.), with room for up to 16K context.
See what else this hardware can run →
or compare on Vast.ai from $0.35/hr (typical low · varies)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Cloud GPU links are referral links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Specs
| VRAM | 12 GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 504 GB/s |
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 14B on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070: VRAM by quantization
| Quant | VRAM needed | Fits 12 GB? | Max context | Whole PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F16 | 30.1 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q8_0 | 17 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q6_K | 13.6 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q5_K_M | 12.1 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q4_K_M | 10.6 GB | ✓ Yes | 16K | Build for this |
| Q3_K_M | 8.1 GB | ✓ Yes | 16K | — |
| Q2_K | 6.7 GB | ✓ Yes | 32K | — |
Assumes an 8K-token context with an f16 KV cache. A longer window needs more; a quantized KV cache needs less. “Max context” is the largest window that still fits in 12 GB. Figures are estimates from parameter count, quantization and memory bandwidth — the analyzer lets you tune KV-cache quant and context.
Context costs VRAM too. At Q4_K_M on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070: 8K 10.6 GB · 32K 14.6 GB ✗ · 128K 30.7 GB ✗. Past 32K it no longer fits 12 GB — a q8_0 KV cache buys roughly half of that back, which the calculator will price for you.
No compatible GPU? DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 14B on 16 GB of system RAM, CPU only: runs, but it is tight.
DeepSeek R1 Sizes That Fit the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (at 8K context)
| DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 14B | Q4_K_M · 10.6 GB at 8K context · ~46 tok/s (est.) |
| DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B | Q4_K_M · 6.7 GB at 8K context · ~73 tok/s (est.) |
At 2 hrs/day, buying (~$599) beats renting at $0.34/hr after about 2.4 years.
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
Cloud rates verified 2026-07 — estimates, and marketplace prices vary. Buying price is GPU MSRP only, not a full PC.
FAQ
Does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 have enough VRAM for DeepSeek R1?
Yes, comfortably — DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 14B at Q4_K_M needs 10.6 GB at 8K context (8.5 GB weights + 2.1 GB KV cache/overhead), leaving ~1.4 GB of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070's 12 GB, at ~46 tok/s (est.), with room for up to 16K context.
Which quantization of DeepSeek R1 should I use on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070?
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 14B at Q4_K_M quantization needs 10.6 GB at 8K context (8.5 GB weights + 2.1 GB KV cache/overhead), estimated ~46 tokens/sec, up to 16K context.
Every DeepSeek R1 size on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
| Size | VRAM at 8K | Verdict | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek R1 (671B) | 406.5 GB | Does not fit | — |
| DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B | 22.3 GB | Does not fit | — |
| DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B | 6.7 GB | Runs | ~73 tok/s |
DeepSeek R1 on Other GPUs
- DeepSeek R1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
- DeepSeek R1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
- DeepSeek R1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super
- DeepSeek R1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB)
- DeepSeek R1 on Intel Arc B580
Popular Models on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
VRAM Tier
Troubleshooting
Buying Guide
← Can I Run It? | DeepSeek R1 Model Page | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU Page | Check Your Hardware