Qwen 3 30B-A3BvsERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking
Complete comparison between Qwen 3 30B-A3B (30B parameters, Alibaba) and ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking (21B, Baidu). VRAM required by quantization, tokens per second measured on 4 reference GPUs, verdict by use case, license, and installation commands. All figures are calculated from catalog data—no copy-pasting between pages.
In brief
| Feature | Qwen 3 30B-A3B | ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking |
|---|---|---|
| Settings | 30B | 21B |
| Family | Qwen | ERNIE |
| Author | Alibaba | Baidu |
| Origin | CN | CN |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 |
| Context | 131,072 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Output | April 2025 | April 2025 |
Memory footprint
Approximate VRAM required for inference with an average context window. The winner (in green) is the model that uses less — smaller models have the edge.
| Quantization | Qwen 3 30B-A3B | ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking |
|---|---|---|
| Q4_K_M (lightweight) | 19 GB | 13 GB |
| Q5_K_M (balanced) | 23 GB | 16 GB |
| Q8 (near-lossless) | 35 GB | 23 GB |
| FP16 (max quality) | 62 GB | 42 GB |
| CPU-only RAM | 32 GB | 18 GB |
Estimated speed (tokens/second)
Estimates based on the best quantization that can fit on each GPU. Actual figures depend on the prompt, context, and engine (llama.cpp, vLLM, MLX). Methodology.
| Reference GPU | Qwen 3 30B-A3B | ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 4090 (24 GB) | 100 tok/s · Q5_K_M | 100 tok/s · Q8 |
| RTX 4080 (16 GB) | ✗ too heavy | 40 tok/s · Q5_K_M |
| RTX 3060 12GB (12 GB) | ✗ too heavy | ✗ too heavy |
| Apple M4 Pro (48 GB) (36 GB) | 40 tok/s · Q8 | 40 tok/s · Q8 |
Verdict by use case
For each common use case, we indicate which of the two is better suited based on its tags, size, and specialization.
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Strengths and weaknesses
Qwen 3 30B-A3B
MoE 30B/3B active hybrid thinking. MMLU 81.4, AIME24 80.4. 100+ languages.
- Fast thanks to the 3B active parameters
- MMLU 81.4
- AIME24 80.4
- Apache 2.0
- 19 GB in Q4
Installation
ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking
Compact MoE reasoner, 21B/3B active. Apache 2.0. Fast thanks to 3B active.
- 13 GB VRAM Q4
- Compact MoE reasoning
- Strong in Chinese
- Less multilingual than Qwen
- Baidu license to verify
Installation
Frequently asked questions
Which model runs best on RTX 4090 (24 GB): Qwen 3 30B-A3B or ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking?
On an RTX 4090, Qwen 3 30B-A3B runs at Q5_K_M (~100 tok/s), ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking in Q8 (~100 tok/s). In pure throughput, ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking wins. See the configurator to test your exact GPU.
Which uses the least VRAM?
In Q4_K_M, ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking fits in 13 GB versus 19 GB for its rival—a 6 GB gap, significant if you are targeting an RTX 3060 or an 8 GB 4060 Ti.
Can these models be used in commercial production?
Qwen 3 30B-A3B is under Apache 2.0 — free for commercial use. ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking is under Apache 2.0 — also free to use. For SaaS, prefer Apache 2.0 or MIT.
Which one should you choose in 2026?
Depends on your primary constraint. Smaller / faster: ERNIE 4.5 21B-A3B Thinking (21B). More capable: Qwen 3 30B-A3B (30B). If you're unsure, run the configurator with your GPU and use case — it will decide based on both.
Alternatives to consider
If neither works for you, here are some neighboring models you could explore.