RTX 3050 8GBBudget pick8 GB VRAM (+2)
B
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.32 tok/s decode
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$249 MSRP
Falcon 7B Instruct needs ~5.9 GB VRAM. GTX 1660 Super 6GB has 6.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~48 tok/s.
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
Fit status
Runs with offload
Decode
47.5 tok/s
TTFT
4072 ms
Safe context
8K
Memory
5.9 GB / 6.0 GB
This setup is broadly balanced for this model.
Very little memory headroom
You can run the model, but there is not much room left for longer context, bigger batches, extra apps, or future model updates.
Older PCIe generation
PCIe 3.0 is workable, but it compounds the penalty when you offload heavily or try to scale across multiple cards.
Buy headroom, not only minimum fit
A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | B | Runs with offload | 47.5 tok/s | 2221 ms | 8K |
| Coding | B | Runs with offload | 47.5 tok/s | 4072 ms | 8K |
| Agentic Coding | B | Runs with offload | 31.4 tok/s | 8967 ms | 8K |
| Reasoning | B | Runs with offload | 47.5 tok/s | 4812 ms | 8K |
| RAG | B | Runs with offload (needs ~0 GB host RAM) | 34.5 tok/s | 10202 ms | 8K |
How Falcon 7B Instruct (7B params) fits at each quantization level on GTX 1660 Super 6GB (6.0 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 2.7 GB | Low | A70 |
Q3_K_SBest for your GPU | 3 | 3.4 GB | Low | B70 |
Copy-paste commands to run Falcon 7B Instruct on your machine.
Run
lms load falcon-7b-instruct && lms server startUpgrade options
RTX 3050 8GBBudget pickAdds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$249 MSRP
RTX 5060 8GBBest valueRaises estimated decode speed by about 48%.
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$299 MSRP
RTX 5050 8GBNVIDIA upgradeAdds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$299 MSRP
Yes, GTX 1660 Super 6GB can run Falcon 7B Instruct with a B grade (Runs with offload). Expected decode speed: 47.5 tok/s.
Falcon 7B Instruct (7B parameters) requires approximately 5.9 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.
The recommended quantization for Falcon 7B Instruct is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.
On GTX 1660 Super 6GB, Falcon 7B Instruct achieves approximately 47.5 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 4072ms using Q4_K_M quantization.
For coding workloads, Falcon 7B Instruct on GTX 1660 Super 6GB receives a B grade with 47.5 tok/s and 8K context.
On GTX 1660 Super 6GB, Falcon 7B Instruct can safely use up to 8K 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-7b-instruct-on-gtx-1660-super-6gb" width="400" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;" title="Will It Run AI — fit result"></iframe>
Preview:
| 4 |
3.9 GB |
| Medium |
| F0 |
Q4_K_M | 4 | 4.3 GB | Medium | F0 |
Q5_K_M | 5 | 5.0 GB | High | F0 |
Q6_K | 6 | 5.7 GB | High | F0 |
Q8_0 | 8 | 7.5 GB | Very High | F0 |
F16 | 16 | 14.3 GB | Maximum | F0 |
Buy headroom, not only minimum fit. A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.