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Best LLM for RTX 5060 (8 GB) in 2026

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Ranking updated on 09/10/2026

The RTX 5060 (8 GB GDDR7, 448 GB/s) is the entry-level Blackwell. 8 GB only supports 7–9B models in Q4_K_M, but GDDR7 + Neural Engine deliver 35–45 tok/s on Mistral 7B.

Offers and alternatives for local AI

RTX 5060 : purchasing alternative available for local AI — RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB :

Which PC should you choose for your budget? Our picks from €800 to €3,500 →

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Ranking

1

🇺🇸 OLMo 3 7B Think (SFT)

zimplex · 7B parameters · Apache 2.0 · 16,000 tokens ctx

SFT “thinking” fine-tune of OLMo 3 7B: step-by-step reasoning, 16k context, ~4.2 GB VRAM in Q4. 100% open, Apache 2.0 license.

Why this ranking SFT “thinking” fine-tune of OLMo 3 7B: step-by-step reasoning, 16k context, ~4.2 GB VRAM in Q4. 100% open, Apache 2.0 license.
# HuggingFace : zimplex/olmo3-7b-think-sft-eosfix-16k-3ep-euc
On RTX 5060
Q8
8 GB · 32 tok/s
2

🇨🇳 GLM 5.3 7B

Zhipu AI · 7B parameters · MIT · 128,000 tokens ctx

GLM 5.3 (Zhipu): dense 7B specialized in code and reasoning, 128k context, ~4.1 GB VRAM in Q4. Lightweight, runs on a 6–8 GB GPU, MIT license.

Why this ranking GLM 5.3 (Zhipu): dense 7B specialized in code and reasoning, 128k context, ~4.1 GB VRAM in Q4. Lightweight, runs on a 6–8 GB GPU, MIT license.
ollama pull glm-5.3
On RTX 5060
Q8
7 GB · 32 tok/s
3

🇺🇸 Granite 4.1 8B Instruct

IBM · 8B parameters · Apache 2.0 · 131,072 tokens ctx

Dense 8B Apache 2.0, 12 languages including FR, 131k context, GQA 32Q/8KV. MMLU 73.84, HumanEval 85.37. Released April 29, 2026.

Why this ranking Dense 8B Apache 2.0, 12 languages including FR, 131k context, GQA 32Q/8KV. MMLU 73.84, HumanEval 85.37. Released April 29, 2026.
# HuggingFace : ibm-granite/granite-4.1-8b
On RTX 5060
Q5_K_M
6 GB · 12 tok/s
4

🇺🇸 OLMo 3 7B

Allen AI · 7B parameters · Apache 2.0 · 8,192-token context

Dense 7B 100% open (weights + data + code). Complete transparency for research.

Why this ranking Dense 7B 100% open (weights + data + code). Complete transparency for research.
ollama run olmo-3:7b
On RTX 5060
Q5_K_M
6 GB · 12 tok/s
5

🇺🇸 LFM2.5 7B

Liquid AI · 7B parameters · LFM Open License v1.0 · 32,768-token context

LFM2.5 7B (Liquid AI): dense Liquid Foundation Model, 32k context, 4.1 GB VRAM Q4. Optimized for CPU and edge. Released May 2026.

Why this ranking LFM2.5 7B (Liquid AI): dense Liquid Foundation Model, 32k context, 4.1 GB VRAM Q4. Optimized for CPU and edge. Released May 2026.
ollama pull lfm2.5
On RTX 5060
Q8
7 GB · 32 tok/s
6

🇺🇸 Granite 4.2 8B

IBM · 8B parameters · Apache 2.0 · 128,000 tokens ctx

Granite 4.2 8B (IBM): dense Apache 2.0, 128k context, ~4.6 GB Q4 VRAM. Multilingual chat, coding, and reasoning for the enterprise.

Why this ranking Granite 4.2 8B (IBM): dense Apache 2.0, 128k context, ~4.6 GB Q4 VRAM. Multilingual chat, coding, and reasoning for the enterprise.
ollama pull granite4.2
On RTX 5060
Q5_K_M
6 GB · 32 tok/s
7

🇺🇸 LFM2.5 DSpark

Liquid AI · 7B parameters · LFM Open License v1.0 · 32,768-token context

LFM2.5 DSpark (Liquid AI): dense 7B Liquid Foundation Model, 32k context, ~4.1 GB VRAM Q4. Versatile chat optimized for edge/CPU.

Why this ranking LFM2.5 DSpark (Liquid AI): dense 7B Liquid Foundation Model, 32k context, ~4.1 GB VRAM Q4. Versatile chat optimized for edge/CPU.
# HuggingFace : LiquidAI/LFM2.5-DSpark
On RTX 5060
Q8
7 GB · 32 tok/s

Comparison table

Rank Model Params Q4 VRAM Context License On RTX 5060
#1 OLMo 3 7B Think (SFT) 7B 4.2 GB 16 000 Apache 2.0 32 tok/s · Q8
#2 GLM 5.3 7B 7B 4.1 GB 128 000 MIT 32 tok/s · Q8
#3 Granite 4.1 8B Instruct 8B 5 GB 131 072 Apache 2.0 12 tok/s · Q5_K_M
#4 OLMo 3 7B 7B 5 GB 8 192 Apache 2.0 12 tok/s · Q5_K_M
#5 LFM2.5 7B 7B 4.1 GB 32 768 LFM Open License v1.0 32 tok/s · Q8
#6 Granite 4.2 8B 8B 4.6 GB 128 000 Apache 2.0 32 tok/s · Q5_K_M
#7 LFM2.5 DSpark 7B 4.1 GB 32 768 LFM Open License v1.0 32 tok/s · Q8
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Ranking methodology

Filter: Q4_K_M ≤ 7 GB (leaves 1 GB for context). Bonus: 3–9B (8 GB peak) and ≤ 7B (zero swap). 448 GB/s = decent entry-level throughput.

Criteria considered:

  • Q4_K_M ≤ 7 GB
  • Mistral 7B Q4 fluid
  • Tokens/sec ≥ 35 on 7B
  • GDDR7 boost vs 4060

The scoring is fully transparent: see our methodology for details on VRAM/tokens/sec calculations.

Frequently asked questions

RTX 5060 vs. RTX 4060?

Same 8 GB. 5060 GDDR7 448 GB/s vs 4060 GDDR6 272 GB/s = ~65% gain. Mistral 7B Q4: 5060 ~40 tok/s vs 4060 ~24 tok/s. See RTX 4060.

Is 8 GB enough to get started with a local LLM?

Yes — Mistral 7B Q4 (~4.5 GB), Qwen 3 8B Q4 (~5 GB), and Llama 3.2 3B Q4 (~2 GB) are all excellent. For 13B+, you need 12 GB (RTX 5070). See 8 GB VRAM ranking.

RTX 5060 or 5060 Ti 16?

5060 = entry-level 8 GB (~€340). 5060 Ti 16 = midrange 16 GB (~€480). The +€150 jump unlocks 24B models (Mistral Small Q4). If the budget works, get the 5060 Ti 16. See RTX 5060 Ti 16GB.

Which quantization on 5060?

Q5_K_M for 7B (5.5 GB, maximum quality). Q4_K_M for 8-9B (5-5.5 GB). Q4_0 for 13B when necessary (~7 GB), but with degraded quality. Stick with 7B Q5 for the sweet spot.

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