Family Qwen · 30B parameters

Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B

MoE 30B (3.3B active parameters) specialized in agentic coding. Very fast locally, native 256k ctx, the benchmark for 16–24 GB via Ollama.

🇨🇳 Alibaba·License Apache 2.0·Context 256k tokens·Output July 2025·Tested on the GIGABYTE AI TOP ATOM · our measurements← Catalog

01What it can do

Strengths
  • 3.3B active: very fast locally
  • 262k native context
  • Apache 2.0 commercial
  • Official Ollama tag
Limitations to know
  • —19 GB in Q4 — comfortable at 24 GB
  • —Outperformed in benchmarks by GLM-4.7-Flash and Coder-Next
Architecture
30.5B total MoE · 3.3B active · 262k native ctx
Training
Agentic coding specialist from the Qwen3-Coder family (Alibaba), younger sibling of 480B and Coder-Next. Trained for tool use (Cline, Aider).
Ideal for
Local CopilotCode agentsFast autocomplete

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.

$ollama run qwen3-coder:30b
⚠
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
19 GB
Q5_K_M
Good quality/size compromise
23 GB
Q8_0
Nearly indistinguishable from FP16
35 GB
FP16
Full precision — server use
61 GB
Fallback CPU · If you don't have a GPU, allow 32 GB of RAM minimum to run this model at reduced speed.

What hardware do you need for Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B?

To run Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B locally with Q4 quantization, you need about 19 GB of VRAM. An option to compare: GMKtec EVO-X2 64GB / 1TB (Ryzen AI Max+ 395) — leave some headroom for the system and context; check engine compatibility with the GPU.

Current offer: GMKtec EVO-X2 64GB / 1TB (Ryzen AI Max+ 395)
AmazonSee price →

Why this choice? Our complete guide on GMKtec EVO-X2 64GB / 1TB (Ryzen AI Max+ 395) →

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

On the go: Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B also runs on a RTX laptop PC (24 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.

Entry-level
~15t/s
GTX 1650, RX 6600, MBA M2 8GB
Mid-range
~40t/s
RTX 4060, 4070, MBP M3 Pro
High-end
~100t/s
RTX 4090, M4 Max, Radeon 7900