Would CUDA be a better path than Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB for Aya Expanse 8B?

Often yes, if your goal is the easiest setup and the widest runtime support. Intel can offer attractive memory capacity, but CUDA still tends to win on tooling maturity, guides, kernels, and model coverage for local AI.

Can Aya Expanse 8B run on Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if Aya Expanse 8B feels slow on Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB?

Prefer CUDA if you want the path of least resistance. If your goal is maximum runtime coverage, easier troubleshooting, and better support for new local AI releases, CUDA is usually still the safer upgrade path.

YES — Runs Great

C52Usable

Estimated from fit model

Aya Expanse 8B needs ~9.3 GB VRAM. Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB has 16.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~25 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: Very lowStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory bandwidth

Operating mode

Choose the run profile you care about

Interactive favors responsiveness, while light API and scale-out lean harder on serving readiness. The fit stays the same, but the recommendation lens changes.

Current mode

Balanced

Balanced for general local use. Keeps the ranking neutral across personal and serving workflows.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 9.3 GB, 26.6 tok/s, Runs well

9.3 GB required16.0 GB available

58% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

26.6 tok/s

TTFT

7266 ms

Safe context

Memory

9.3 GB / 16.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights4.9 GB

KV Cache2.0 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom1.6 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsAya Expanse 8B on Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>What is local AI inference?
Local AI inference means running an AI language model directly on your own hardware — your laptop, desktop, or server — instead of sending requests to a remote cloud API.

When you run inference locally the model weights are loaded into your GPU or unified memory. Each token you generate requires reading those weights from memory, so memory bandwidth is the main bottleneck for decode speed.

Key benefits of running locally:
  - Full privacy: your prompts never leave your machine
  - No per-token cost or rate limits
  - Works offline once the model is downloaded
  - Latency depends only on your hardware
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>How much VRAM do I need?
It depends on the model size and quantization level. A rough rule of thumb:

  Model size     Q4 (4-bit)    Q8 (8-bit)    FP16
  7B params      ~4.3 GB       ~7.5 GB       ~14 GB
  13B params     ~7.9 GB       ~13.9 GB      ~26 GB
  70B params     ~42.7 GB      ~74.9 GB      ~140 GB

Most people use 4-bit quantization (Q4_K_M) which gives 90-95% of full quality at a fraction of the memory. A 24 GB GPU can comfortably run most 7B-13B models.
Estimated: 26.6 tok/s decode · 7.3s TTFT (warm) · 67 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

The raw memory story may look fine, but the software ecosystem is still a constraint here.

Runtime ecosystem is narrower than CUDA

Intel GPUs can look attractive on memory per dollar, but local AI tooling, kernels, and model coverage are still broader and easier on CUDA today.

Best improvement path

Prefer CUDA if you want the path of least resistance

If your goal is maximum runtime coverage, easier troubleshooting, and better support for new local AI releases, CUDA is usually still the safer upgrade path.

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	C	Runs well	26.6 tok/s	3963 ms	8K
Coding	C	Runs well	24.8 tok/s	7811 ms	8K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	26.6 tok/s	10568 ms	8K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	26.6 tok/s	8587 ms	8K
RAG	C	Runs well	26.6 tok/s	13210 ms	8K

Quantization options

How Aya Expanse 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB (16.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.1 GB	Low	C49
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	C49
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Aya Expanse 8B on your machine.

Run

docker run --rm -it ghcr.io/ggerganov/llama.cpp:full \
  --hf-repo "CohereForAI/aya-expanse-8b" \
  --hf-file "aya-expanse-8b-Q4_K_M.gguf" \
  -c 4096 -ngl 99

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Aya Expanse 8B well

RX 7900 XT 20GBBudget pick

20 GB VRAM (+4)800 GB/s (+576)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 297%.105.7 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 297%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

~$899 MSRP

RX 7900 XTX 24GBBest value

24 GB VRAM (+8)960 GB/s (+736)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 321%.112 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 321%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

~$999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB run Aya Expanse 8B?

Yes, Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB can run Aya Expanse 8B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 24.8 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Aya Expanse 8B need?

Aya Expanse 8B (8B parameters) requires approximately 9.3 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Aya Expanse 8B?

The recommended quantization for Aya Expanse 8B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Aya Expanse 8B run at on Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB?

On Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB, Aya Expanse 8B achieves approximately 24.8 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 7811ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB run Aya Expanse 8B for coding?

For coding workloads, Aya Expanse 8B on Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB receives a C grade with 24.8 tok/s and 8K context.

What context window can Aya Expanse 8B use on Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB?

On Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB, Aya Expanse 8B can safely use up to 8K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 8K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Aya Expanse 8B feels slow on Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB?

See all results for Intel Arc Pro B50 16GB See all hardware for Aya Expanse 8B

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