RTX 5070 12GB can run Mistral Small 3.1 24B, but not the way you'd expect. Here's the change that makes it work.

Mistral Small 3.1 24B at Q4_K_M needs 16.4 GB once weights, KV cache at 8K context and framework overhead are counted. RTX 5070 12GB offers 12 GB, leaving you 4.4 GB short. You are 4.4 GB short in VRAM but have 25.6 GB of usable system RAM, so llama.cpp can hold the overflow layers in RAM instead of refusing to load. Expect 4–8.3 tok/s (estimated).

What to do

Spill the extra layers into system RAM

You are 4.4 GB short in VRAM but have 25.6 GB of usable system RAM, so llama.cpp can hold the overflow layers in RAM instead of refusing to load.

What it needs

Use llama.cpp or Ollama, which support partial GPU offload
Keep at least 4.4 GB of system RAM free while the model is loaded

What we checked

Deficit: 4.4 GB
System RAM usable for offload: 25.6 GB
Offload throughput checked against the 5 tok/s usable floor

Other ways to get there

Add an RTX 4060 Ti 16GB alongside your current card — Your 12 GB plus this card's 16 GB clears the 16.4 GB this model needs, without replacing what you already own.
Add 64GB DDR5 kit (2x32GB) — You are 4.4 GB short in VRAM, and 64 GB of system RAM gives llama.cpp somewhere to put the overflow layers without changing your graphics card.
Replace your card with an RTX 3090 24GB (used) — 24 GB holds Mistral Small 3.1 24B at Q4_K_M outright, closing the 4.4 GB you are short by.

Market conditions: New GPU prices are far above MSRP because the memory on the board costs several times what it did in 2025. Relief is not expected before 2027-Q4. Source, checked 2026-08-26.

Your machine is not exactly this one. Run this for your exact setup — the form opens pre-filled with RTX 5070 12GB and Mistral Small 3.1 24B.

Questions people ask about this pairing

Can an RTX 5070 12GB run Mistral Small 3.1 24B?

Not as it stands. Mistral Small 3.1 24B needs 16.4 GB at Q4_K_M and this machine has 12 GB available, a shortfall of 4.4 GB. You are 4.4 GB short in VRAM but have 25.6 GB of usable system RAM, so llama.cpp can hold the overflow layers in RAM instead of refusing to load.

Would more system RAM fix this?

Here, yes — up to a point. You are 4.4 GB short in VRAM, and 64 GB of system RAM gives llama.cpp somewhere to put the overflow layers without changing your graphics card. It works because the shortfall is small enough that the layers living in system RAM do not dominate each token.

Should I wait for prices to come down?

New GPU prices are far above MSRP because the memory on the board costs several times what it did in 2025. Relief is not expected before 2027-Q4. The current estimate for relief is 2027-Q4. If you can run this some other way meanwhile, waiting is defensible; if you cannot, the part still does the job today.

How fast will Mistral Small 3.1 24B actually run?

Around 4–8.3 tok/s (estimated) on this setup at Q4_K_M. Decode speed on a local model is set by memory bandwidth rather than compute, so the figure moves with the card's bandwidth and the bytes read per token — not with its price.

Does a longer context change what Mistral Small 3.1 24B needs here?

Yes, and it is the figure people forget. The 16.4 GB above already includes the KV cache at 8K; that cache grows roughly linearly with context, so doubling the window adds real gigabytes rather than a rounding error. If you plan to work with long documents on RTX 5070 12GB, size for the context you will actually use, not the default.

Data behind this page last checked 2026-08-26.