Can Baichuan 7B run on RTX 3070 8GB?

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run

Estimated from fit model

Baichuan 7B needs ~14.1 GB but RTX 3070 8GB only has 8.0 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: OllamaCapacity: No fitBandwidth: LowStack: BasicBottleneck: Memory capacity

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) — 14.1 GB, exceeds 8.0 GB available

14.1 GB required8.0 GB available

176% VRAM needed

6.1 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

16.8 tok/s

TTFT

11557 ms

Safe context

Memory

14.1 GB / 8.0 GB

Offload

40%

Memory breakdown

Weights4.3 GB

KV Cache7.8 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom0.8 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower

See how fast it feelsBaichuan 7B on RTX 3070 8GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step.

Given information:
  - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour)
  - Time  = 2.5 hours

Formula: Distance = Speed x Time

Calculation:
  Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h
           = 150 miles

The train travels 150 miles.

Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time.

Breakdown:
  - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles
  - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance)
  - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles

Total distance: 150 miles (same)
Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours
Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph

The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 16.8 tok/s decode · 11.6s TTFT (warm) · 42 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable VRAM is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 14.1 GB, but this setup only exposes 8.0 GB of usable VRAM.

Best improvement path

Add more VRAM headroom

The first useful upgrade is more dedicated VRAM so you can fit the model without shrinking context or dropping to a much lower quant.

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	F	Too heavy	33.2 tok/s	3181 ms	4K
Coding	F	Too heavy	16.8 tok/s	11557 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	11.0 tok/s	25562 ms	4K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	16.8 tok/s	13659 ms	4K
RAG	F	Too heavy	11.0 tok/s	31952 ms	4K

Quantization options

How Baichuan 7B (7B params) fits at each quantization level on RTX 3070 8GB (8.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	2.7 GB	Low	B69
Q3_K_S	3	3.4 GB	Low	B70
NVFP4	4

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Baichuan 7B well

RTX 5060 Ti 16GBBudget pick

16 GB VRAM (+8)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.65 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

~$449 MSRP

RTX 4060 Ti 16GBBest value

16 GB VRAM (+8)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.49.2 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

~$499 MSRP

RTX 2000 Ada 16GBNVIDIA upgrade

16 GB VRAM (+8)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.51.3 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

~$625 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can RTX 3070 8GB run Baichuan 7B?

No, Baichuan 7B requires more memory than RTX 3070 8GB provides.

How much VRAM does Baichuan 7B need?

Baichuan 7B (7B parameters) requires approximately 14.1 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Baichuan 7B?

The recommended quantization for Baichuan 7B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Baichuan 7B run at on RTX 3070 8GB?

On RTX 3070 8GB, Baichuan 7B achieves approximately 16.8 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 11557ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can RTX 3070 8GB run Baichuan 7B for coding?

For coding workloads, Baichuan 7B on RTX 3070 8GB receives a F grade with 16.8 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can Baichuan 7B use on RTX 3070 8GB?

On RTX 3070 8GB, Baichuan 7B can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 8K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Baichuan 7B feels slow on RTX 3070 8GB?

Add more VRAM headroom. The first useful upgrade is more dedicated VRAM so you can fit the model without shrinking context or dropping to a much lower quant.

See all results for RTX 3070 8GB See all hardware for Baichuan 7B

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