Can I Run DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT?
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026
Yes. DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B needs 6.7 GB at 8K context (4.8 GB weights + 1.9 GB KV cache/overhead) at Q4_K_M and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT has 20 GB, leaving about 13.3 GB of headroom, at roughly 72 tok/s (estimated) with room for up to 64K of context.
See what else this hardware can run →
The numbers
| Model | DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B |
| Parameters | 8B |
| Quantization | Q4_K_M |
| VRAM needed (8K context) | 6.7 GB |
| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT VRAM | 20 GB |
| Verdict | Runs |
| Max context | 64K |
| Estimated speed | ~72 tok/s |
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT: VRAM by quantization
| Quant | VRAM needed | Fits 20 GB? | Max context | Whole PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F16 | 17.9 GB | ✓ Yes | 16K | — |
| Q8_0 | 10.4 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | — |
| Q6_K | 8.4 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | — |
| Q5_K_M | 7.5 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | — |
| Q4_K_M | 6.7 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | — |
| Q3_K_M | 5.3 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | — |
| Q2_K | 4.5 GB | ✓ Yes | 64K | — |
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 20 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 AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT: 8K 6.7 GB · 32K 9.9 GB · 128K 22.8 GB ✗. Past 128K it no longer fits 20 GB — a q8_0 KV cache buys roughly half of that back, which the calculator will price for you.
What to do next
Nothing to change — run it at Q4_K_M. If you want more capability, check whether the next size up also fits.
No compatible GPU? DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on 8 GB of system RAM, CPU only: runs.
Running DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on this card:
At 2 hrs/day, buying (~$899) beats renting at $0.34/hr after about 3.7 years.
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Cloud rates verified 2026-07 — estimates, and marketplace prices vary. Buying price is GPU MSRP only, not a full PC.
Other DeepSeek R1 sizes on the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
- DeepSeek R1 (671B) — does not fit (406.5 GB)
- DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B — runs at a lower quant (22.3 GB)
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on nearby hardware
- Apple M1 (16 GB) — runs
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (24 GB) — runs
All DeepSeek R1 sizes on the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT | DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B model page | AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT GPU page | VRAM calculator | Check your hardware