01What it can do
- Dense 8B: fits on a 6–8 GB GPU in Q4
- 128k native context
- Permissive Apache 2.0 license
- Multilingual and enterprise tool calling
- —Gated weights on Hugging Face (acceptance required)
- —8B model: trails larger models on complex tasks
04Install
Install Ollama for your OS. Check the model and its quantization before downloading. Start with 4096 tokens of context, then check placement with ollama ps. A command below is not proof that a test was run on your machine.
02Required memory
Approximate GPU VRAM required to run this model, including 4k tokens of context overhead. For a longer context, add ~1 GB per 8k-token increment.
What hardware do you need for Granite 4.2 8B?
To run Granite 4.2 8B locally with Q4 quantization, you need about 4.6 GB of VRAM. An option to compare: RTX 5060 Ti 16GB (ASUS Prime) — leave some headroom for the system and context; check engine compatibility with the GPU.
Affiliate links — commission possible at no extra cost to you; independent recommendations. As an Amazon Associate, BestLLMfor earns from qualifying purchases.
On the go: Granite 4.2 8B also runs on a RTX laptop PC (16 GB of VRAM) →
03Expected speed
Tokens generated per second in Q4_K_M, 4k context. Beyond 20 t/s, reading is comfortable. Below 10 t/s, that's just for testing.