Granite 4.1 3B — VRAM, Speed & Local Setup

Autor: Jakub Rusinowski · Ostatnia aktualizacja: 29 kwietnia 2026

Model library → IBM Granite 4.1 → Granite 4.1 3B

Smallest Granite 4.1 tier — dense transformer, runs on any modern GPU, Apple Silicon, or CPU. Apache 2.0, ISO 42001 certified.

Granite 4.1 3B needs about 3 GB of VRAM at Q4_K_M — quantized weights plus framework overhead, before any KV cache. On Apple Silicon that figure comes out of unified memory.

Specifications

Parameters3 Billion
Context window128,000
ArchitectureDense Transformer
ProviderIBM
LicenceApache 2.0
Specified atQ4_K_M
System RAM8 GB
Record updated2026-04-29

Licence

Apache-2.0 — commercial use permitted. Commercial use permitted. No usage restrictions beyond attribution.

VRAM and Speed by Quantization

Modelled on a reference NVIDIA RTX 4090 (24 GB). Weights plus framework overhead only — this model publishes no architecture we can read, so no KV cache is included. A real session needs more; the figure is a floor, not a target. Speed figures are ESTIMATES from the memory-bandwidth roofline described on the methodology page, not benchmarks we ran — rows marked measured come from published or reader-submitted runs. VRAM here includes the KV cache, so it reads higher than the headline figure above, which does not.

QuantBits/weightWeightsVRAM neededEst. speedFit on 24 GB
Q2_K2.631 GB1.8 GB~244 tok/s (est.)Fits comfortably
Q3_K_M3.411.3 GB2.1 GB~223 tok/s (est.)Fits comfortably
Q4_K_M4.831.8 GB2.6 GB~192 tok/s (est.)Fits comfortably
Q5_K_M5.672.1 GB2.9 GB~178 tok/s (est.)Fits comfortably
Q6_K6.562.5 GB3.3 GB~165 tok/s (est.)Fits comfortably
Q8_08.503.2 GB4 GB~143 tok/s (est.)Fits comfortably
F1616.006 GB6.8 GB~93 tok/s (est.)Fits comfortably

Want to set your own context length and KV-cache quantization? Use the interactive VRAM calculator.

Buy This HardwareIntel Arc B570 10GB — 10 GB VRAM · 150 W board powerDeploy in the Cloud NowRTX 4090 on RunPod — from $0.34/hr · rate checked 2026-07

or compare on Vast.ai from $0.35/hr (typical low · varies)

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Recommended GPU

The cheapest catalogued GPU that runs Granite 4.1 3B is the Intel Arc B570 (10 GB).

Ujawnienie afiliacyjne: Niektóre odnośniki na tej stronie to linki afiliacyjne — jeśli dokonasz zakupu za ich pośrednictwem, LLM Configurator może otrzymać prowizję bez dodatkowych kosztów dla Ciebie. Jako uczestnik programu Amazon Associates, LLM Configurator zarabia na kwalifikujących się zakupach.
Intel Arc B570 10GB
10 GB VRAM · 150 W board power
Ceny w 2026 są niestabilne — sprawdź aktualną ofertę.
Sprawdź cenę na Amazon

How to Run Granite 4.1 3B

Install Ollama, then run:

ollama run granite4.1:3b

Weights on Hugging Face: ibm-granite/granite-4.1-3b.

Best for: edge devices, low vram, enterprise, general use.

Can I Run Granite 4.1 3B on My GPU?

Other IBM Granite 4.1 Sizes

Granite 4.1 3B — Frequently Asked Questions

How much VRAM does Granite 4.1 3B need?
About 3 GB at Q4_K_M — quantized weights plus framework overhead, before any KV cache. The cache grows with context length and is added on top; the table above folds it in. Apple Silicon counts unified memory toward the same figure.
Does Granite 4.1 3B run on an RTX 4090 (24 GB)?
Yes. Granite 4.1 3B needs about 3 GB at Q4_K_M, inside a 24 GB card, at an estimated 192 tokens/sec.
How do I run Granite 4.1 3B locally?
Install Ollama and run `ollama run granite4.1:3b`. That pulls the weights and starts a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint; after the download nothing leaves the machine.
What other sizes does IBM Granite 4.1 come in?
Granite 4.1 3B (3 GB), Granite 4.1 8B (6 GB), Granite 4.1 30B (19 GB). Every size shares the family's training and licence; the larger ones score higher and need proportionally more memory.

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