Family SmolLM · 3B parameters★ Made in France

SmolLM3 3B

3B dual-mode (think/no-think). 6 languages. MMLU 59.7, GSM8K 70.9. Fully open (data + recipe).

🇫🇷 HuggingFace·License Apache 2.0·Context 125k tokens·Output July 2025·Fits within the 128 GB of the GIGABYTE AI TOP ATOM← Catalog

01What it can do

Strengths
  • Compact think mode
  • 6 languages
  • Apache 2.0
Limitations to know
  • —No official Ollama
Architecture
Dense 3B · dual-mode think/no-think · native 64k + YaRN
Training
Fully open (data + recipe).
Ideal for
Edge reasoningCompact think mode

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.

$# HuggingFace : HuggingFaceTB/SmolLM3-3B
⚠
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
2 GB
Q5_K_M
Good quality/size compromise
2.5 GB
Q8_0
Nearly indistinguishable from FP16
4 GB
FP16
Full precision — server use
6 GB
Fallback CPU · If you don't have a GPU, allow 5 GB of RAM minimum to run this model at reduced speed.

What hardware do you need for SmolLM3 3B?

To run SmolLM3 3B locally with Q4 quantization, you need about 2 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: SmolLM3 3B also runs on a RTX laptop PC (16 GB of VRAM) →

This model in your private ChatGPT, without the cloud

Your private ChatGPT, free, on your own machine in an hour — LM Studio, Ollama, Open WebUI, your documents, no cloud.

  • Lifetime online access
  • PDF + files
  • Lifetime updates

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
~25t/s
GTX 1650, RX 6600, MBA M2 8GB
Mid-range
~70t/s
RTX 4060, 4070, MBP M3 Pro
High-end
~160t/s
RTX 4090, M4 Max, Radeon 7900

04Public benchmarks

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

MMLU
59.7
GSM8K
70.9