Can I Run Mistral Family on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070?
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 2026
Only with offload — Mistral NeMo 12B at Q4_K_M needs 9.4 GB at 8K context (7.2 GB weights + 2.2 GB KV cache/overhead) against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070's 8 GB, so part of it spills onto CPU/system RAM and speed drops sharply.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Specs
| VRAM | 8 GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448 GB/s |
Mistral NeMo 12B on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070: VRAM by quantization
| Quant | VRAM needed | Fits 8 GB? | Max context | Whole PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F16 | 26.1 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q8_0 | 14.9 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q6_K | 12 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q5_K_M | 10.6 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q4_K_M | 9.4 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q3_K_M | 7.3 GB | ✓ Yes | 8K | — |
| Q2_K | 6.1 GB | ✓ Yes | 16K | — |
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 8 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 3070: 8K 9.4 GB ✗ · 32K 13.4 GB ✗ · 128K 29.5 GB ✗. Past 8K it no longer fits 8 GB — a q8_0 KV cache buys roughly half of that back, which the calculator will price for you.
No compatible GPU? Mistral NeMo 12B on 8 GB of system RAM, CPU only: runs, but it is tight.
Why It Does Not Fit
Every Mistral Family variant requires more VRAM than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 provides (8 GB).
Nearest GPU That Fits
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB) (10 GB VRAM).
Mistral Family needs ~9 GB but this GPU has 8 GB. Rent a RTX 4090 (24 GB)-class GPU by the hour instead of buying one:
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FAQ
Will Mistral Family run on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070?
Only with offload — Mistral NeMo 12B at Q4_K_M needs 9.4 GB at 8K context (7.2 GB weights + 2.2 GB KV cache/overhead) against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070's 8 GB, so part of it spills onto CPU/system RAM and speed drops sharply.
What GPU should I get instead to run Mistral Family?
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB) (10 GB VRAM) is the cheapest upgrade that fits it.
Every Mistral Family size on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
| Size | VRAM at 8K | Verdict | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mistral Small 3 (24B) | 17.2 GB | Does not fit | — |
| Mistral NeMo 12B | 9.4 GB | Runs at Q3_K_M | — |
Mistral Family on Other GPUs
- Mistral Family on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB
- Mistral Family on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060
- Mistral Family on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060
- Mistral Family on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
- Mistral Family on AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
Popular Models on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
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VRAM Tier
Troubleshooting
- Ollama: "model requires more system memory than is available"
- Out of memory at long context (the KV cache, not the weights)
Buying Guide
← Can I Run It? | Mistral Family Model Page | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU Page | VRAM calculator | Check Your Hardware