Can I Run Mistral Small 3.1 on AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB?
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 12, 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 AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB'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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AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB Specs
| VRAM | 8 GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 320 GB/s |
Mistral Small 3.1 24B on the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB: VRAM by quantization
| Quant | VRAM needed | Fits 8 GB? | Max context | Whole PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F16 | 49.3 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q8_0 | 27.2 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q6_K | 21.5 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q5_K_M | 18.9 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q4_K_M | 16.4 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q3_K_M | 12.2 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q2_K | 9.9 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.
Context costs VRAM too. At Q4_K_M on the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB: 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 AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB provides (8 GB).
Nearest GPU That Fits
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB VRAM).
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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FAQ
Does the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB have enough VRAM for Mistral Small 3.1?
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 AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB's 8 GB leaves it ~8.4 GB short. The cheapest card that runs it is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB).
Which GPU can actually 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
- Mistral Small 3.1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB
- Mistral Small 3.1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060
- Mistral Small 3.1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060
- Mistral Small 3.1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
- Mistral Small 3.1 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
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VRAM Tier
Troubleshooting
- Ollama: "model requires more system memory than is available"
- Which GGUF quant should I download? (Q4 vs Q5 vs Q8)
Buying Guide
← Can I Run It? | Mistral Small 3.1 Model Page | AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB GPU Page | VRAM calculator | Check Your Hardware