Can I Run Mistral Small 3.1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti?

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated September 29, 2026

No — Mistral Small 3.1 24B at Q4_K_M needs 16.4 GB at 8K context (14.2 GB weights + 2.2 GB KV cache/overhead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB leaves it ~8.4 GB short. The cheapest card that runs it is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB).

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Specs

VRAM8 GB
Memory Bandwidth608 GB/s

Mistral Small 3.1 24B on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti: VRAM by quantization

QuantVRAM neededFits 8 GB?Max contextWhole PC
F1649.3 GB✗ No——
Q8_027.2 GB✗ No—Build for this
Q6_K21.5 GB✗ No——
Q5_K_M18.9 GB✗ No——
Q4_K_M16.4 GB✗ No—Build for this
Q3_K_M12.2 GB✗ No——
Q2_K9.9 GB✗ No——

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.

Superseded model. Mistral Small 3.1 has been superseded by Mistral Small 3.2. This page is kept for reference; the newer family is a better starting point. Mistral Small 3.2 needs at least 16.7 GB at Q4_K_M with an 8K context, so it does not fit the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti.

Context costs VRAM too. At Q4_K_M on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti: 8K 16.4 GB ✗ · 32K 20.4 GB ✗ · 125K 36 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 Small 3.1 24B on 16 GB of system RAM, CPU only: runs, but it is tight.

Why It Does Not Fit

Every Mistral Small 3.1 variant requires more VRAM than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti provides (8 GB).

Nearest GPU That Fits

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB VRAM).

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB
20 GB VRAM · 315 W board power
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Won't fit — rent Mistral Small 3.1 instead

Mistral Small 3.1 needs ~16 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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RunPod $0.34/hr
Rent on RunPod →
Vast.ai $0.35/hr · typical low · varies
Rent on Vast.ai →

Cloud rates verified 2026-07 — estimates, and marketplace prices vary. Buying price is GPU MSRP only, not a full PC.

FAQ

Will Mistral Small 3.1 run on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti?

No — Mistral Small 3.1 24B at Q4_K_M needs 16.4 GB at 8K context (14.2 GB weights + 2.2 GB KV cache/overhead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB leaves it ~8.4 GB short. The cheapest card that runs it is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB).

What GPU should I get instead to run Mistral Small 3.1?

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB VRAM) is the cheapest upgrade that fits it.

Mistral Small 3.1 on Other GPUs

Popular Models on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

VRAM Tier

Troubleshooting

Buying Guide

← Can I Run It? | Mistral Small 3.1 Model Page | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU Page | VRAM calculator | Check Your Hardware