Family Qwen · 8B parameters

Qwen 3 8B

Hybrid thinking/fast mode. 119 languages, 32k native (131k via YaRN).

🇨🇳 Alibaba·License Apache 2.0·Context 128k tokens·Output April 2025·Tested on the GIGABYTE AI TOP ATOM · our measurements← Catalog

01What it can do

Strengths
  • Toggleable thinking mode
  • 119 languages
  • 131k ctx (with YaRN)
  • Apache 2.0
Limitations to know
  • —Verbose thinking mode
  • —Less mature than Qwen 2.5 in terms of ecosystem
Architecture
Dense · GQA · hybrid thinking/non-thinking mode
Training
36T tokens, 119 languages.
Ideal for
Hybrid chatReasoningMultilingual

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 qwen3:8b
⚠
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
5 GB
Q5_K_M
Good quality/size compromise
6 GB
Q8_0
Nearly indistinguishable from FP16
9 GB
FP16
Full precision — server use
16 GB
Fallback CPU · If you don't have a GPU, allow 10 GB of RAM minimum to run this model at reduced speed.

What hardware do you need for Qwen 3 8B?

To run Qwen 3 8B locally with Q4 quantization, you need about 5 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 recommendation. As an Amazon Associate, BestLLMfor earns from qualifying purchases.

On the go: Qwen 3 8B also runs on a RTX laptop PC (16 GB of VRAM) →

This model in your private ChatGPT, without the cloud

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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
~12t/s
GTX 1650, RX 6600, MBA M2 8GB
Mid-range
~35t/s
RTX 4060, 4070, MBP M3 Pro
High-end
~90t/s
RTX 4090, M4 Max, Radeon 7900

04Public benchmarks

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

MMLU-Pro
68.7
GPQA
60
LiveCodeBench
54.4