SmolLM3 3B — VRAM Requirements
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated September 6, 2026
How much GPU VRAM you need to run SmolLM3 SmolLM3 3B by Hugging Face locally, a 3.08B-parameter model. Figures are quantized weights + KV cache + framework overhead, computed from the model's parameter count and published architecture — not a throughput model. See /en/methodology.
SmolLM3 3B needs about 3 GB VRAM at Q4_K_M.
VRAM by Quantization
| Quant | Bits/weight | Weights | Total VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 2.63 | 1.0 GB | 1.8 GB |
| Q3_K_M | 3.41 | 1.3 GB | 2.1 GB |
| Q4_K_M | 4.83 | 1.9 GB | 2.7 GB |
| Q5_K_M | 5.67 | 2.2 GB | 3.0 GB |
| Q6_K | 6.56 | 2.5 GB | 3.3 GB |
| Q8_0 | 8.50 | 3.3 GB | 4.1 GB |
| F16 | 16.00 | 6.2 GB | 7.0 GB |
Switch quantization in the interactive calculator, or see the full SmolLM3 model page.
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Model creators: paste this into your Hugging Face model card README to link readers straight to this VRAM breakdown.
[](https://llmconfigurator.com/en/vram-calculator/smollm3-3b?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=readme_badge&utm_content=smollm3-3b)Estimates only — actual VRAM varies with context length, batch size, runtime and KV-cache settings.