Falcon 40B Instruct needs ~32.6 GB but Intel Arc A550M 8GB only has 8.0 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.
Operating mode
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.
Select quantization to explore
24.6 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization
Fit status
Too heavy
Decode
2.0 tok/s
TTFT
96800 ms
Safe context
4K
Memory
32.6 GB / 8.0 GB
Offload
80%
Usable VRAM is the main blocker for this model.
Not enough usable memory
The model needs 32.6 GB, but this setup only exposes 8.0 GB of usable VRAM.
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.
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.
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.
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | F | Too heavy | 2.0 tok/s | 52800 ms | 4K |
| Coding | F | Too heavy | 2.0 tok/s | 96800 ms | 4K |
| Agentic Coding | F | Too heavy | 2.0 tok/s | 140800 ms | 4K |
| Reasoning | F | Too heavy | 2.0 tok/s | 114400 ms | 4K |
| RAG | F | Too heavy | 2.0 tok/s | 176000 ms | 4K |
How Falcon 40B Instruct (40B params) fits at each quantization level on Intel Arc A550M 8GB (8.0 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 15.6 GB | Low | F0 |
Q3_K_S | 3 | 19.6 GB | Low | F0 |
NVFP4 | 4 |
Upgrade options
RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell 48GBBiggest leapMakes 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.
~$4,999 MSRP
Gaudi 3 128GBBudget pickMakes 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.
~$15,000 MSRP
Intel Data Center GPU Max 1550 128GBBest valueMakes 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.
~$15,000 MSRP
No, Falcon 40B Instruct requires more memory than Intel Arc A550M 8GB provides.
Falcon 40B Instruct (40B parameters) requires approximately 32.6 GB of memory with Q5_K_M quantization.
The recommended quantization for Falcon 40B Instruct is Q5_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.
On Intel Arc A550M 8GB, Falcon 40B Instruct achieves approximately 2.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 96800ms using Q5_K_M quantization.
For coding workloads, Falcon 40B Instruct on Intel Arc A550M 8GB receives a F grade with 2.0 tok/s and 4K context.
On Intel Arc A550M 8GB, Falcon 40B Instruct can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 8K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.
Paste this snippet into any page to show a live fit card.
<iframe src="https://willitrunai.com/embed/falcon-40b-instruct-on-arc-a550m-8gb" width="400" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;" title="Will It Run AI — fit result"></iframe>
Preview:
| Medium |
| F0 |
Q4_K_M | 4 | 24.4 GB | Medium | F0 |
Q5_K_M | 5 | 28.8 GB | High | F0 |
Q6_K | 6 | 32.8 GB | High | F0 |
Q8_0 | 8 | 42.8 GB | Very High | F0 |
F16 | 16 | 82.0 GB | Maximum | F0 |
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.
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.
