Family Phi · 3.8B parameters

Phi-4 Mini Reasoning 3.8B

MIT 3.8B reasoner trained on R1 traces. AIME24 57.5, MATH-500 94.6.

🇺🇸 Microsoft·License MIT·Context 125k tokens·Output April 2025·Fits within the 128 GB of the GIGABYTE AI TOP ATOM← Catalog

01What it can do

Strengths
  • AIME24 57.5
  • MATH-500 94.6
  • Runs on a laptop
  • MIT
Limitations to know
  • —Anglais-first
Architecture
Dense 3.8B · trained on R1 traces
Training
Synthetic reasoning distillation.
Ideal for
On-device mathEdge logic

05Install

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.

$ollama run phi4-mini-reasoning:3.8b
⚠
First download: between 2 and 40 GB depending on the selected quantization. Plan for sufficient disk space; a stable connection is recommended. Subsequent launches are instant.

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.

Q4_K_M
The lightest, ~5% loss
3 GB
Q5_K_M
Good quality/size compromise
3.5 GB
Q8_0
Nearly indistinguishable from FP16
5 GB
FP16
Full precision — server use
8 GB
Fallback CPU · If you don't have a GPU, allow 6 GB of RAM minimum to run this model at reduced speed.

What hardware do you need for Phi-4 Mini Reasoning 3.8B?

To run Phi-4 Mini Reasoning 3.8B locally with Q4 quantization, you need about 3 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.

Current offer: RTX 5060 Ti 16GB (ASUS Prime)
AmazonSee price →

Affiliate links — commission possible at no extra cost to you; independent recommendations. As an Amazon Associate, BestLLMfor earns from qualifying purchases.

On the go: Phi-4 Mini Reasoning 3.8B also runs on a RTX laptop PC (16 GB of VRAM) →

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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.

Entry-level
~22t/s
GTX 1650, RX 6600, MBA M2 8GB
Mid-range
~65t/s
RTX 4060, 4070, MBP M3 Pro
High-end
~150t/s
RTX 4090, M4 Max, Radeon 7900

04Public benchmarks

Scores reproduced from model cards or MMLU-Pro / community sources. Unit: % correct answers.

AIME 2024
57.5
MATH-500
94.6