Can Granite 4.1 3B run on RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB?

YES — Runs Great

B64Good

Estimated from fit model

Granite 4.1 3B needs ~5.6 GB VRAM. RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB has 16.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~48 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: MediumStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced

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) — 5.6 GB, 48.0 tok/s, Runs well

5.6 GB required16.0 GB available

35% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

48.0 tok/s

TTFT

4033 ms

Safe context

131K

Memory

5.6 GB / 16.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights1.8 GB

KV Cache1.2 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom1.6 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGranite 4.1 3B on RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Write a Python function to sort a list
Here's a Python function that sorts a list using quicksort:

def quicksort(arr):
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left   = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right  = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

# Example usage
numbers = [3, 6, 8, 10, 1, 2, 1]
print(quicksort(numbers))  # [1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10]

The algorithm picks a pivot, partitions the list into smaller, equal, and larger elements, then recursively sorts each partition and concatenates the results.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>Now add type hints and a docstring
def quicksort(arr: list[int]) -> list[int]:
    """Sort a list using the quicksort algorithm.

    Args:
        arr: List of integers to sort.

    Returns:
        A new sorted list.
    """
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left   = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right  = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

Added type hints for the input and return type, plus a Google-style docstring.
Estimated: 48.0 tok/s decode · 4.0s TTFT (warm) · 120 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

This setup is broadly balanced for this model.

No major red flags

This recommendation has enough memory headroom and acceptable estimated speed for the selected workload.

Best improvement path

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	B	Runs well	48.0 tok/s	2200 ms	131K
Coding	B	Runs well	48.0 tok/s	4033 ms	131K
Agentic Coding	B	Runs well	48.0 tok/s	5867 ms	131K
Reasoning	B	Runs well	48.0 tok/s	4767 ms	131K
RAG	B	Runs well	48.0 tok/s	7333 ms	131K

Quantization options

How Granite 4.1 3B (3B params) fits at each quantization level on RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB (16.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	1.2 GB	Low	B63
Q3_K_S	3	1.5 GB	Low	B63
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Granite 4.1 3B on your machine.

Run

ollama run granite4.1:3b

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Granite 4.1 3B well

MacBook Air M4 24GBBudget pick

24 GB Unified (+8)

This setup is broadly balanced for this model.42 tok/s decode

~$1,099 MSRP

MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GBBest value

24 GB Unified (+8)

This setup is broadly balanced for this model.42 tok/s decode

~$1,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB run Granite 4.1 3B?

Yes, RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB can run Granite 4.1 3B with a B grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 48.0 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Granite 4.1 3B need?

Granite 4.1 3B (3B parameters) requires approximately 5.6 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Granite 4.1 3B?

The recommended quantization for Granite 4.1 3B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Granite 4.1 3B run at on RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB?

On RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB, Granite 4.1 3B achieves approximately 48.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 4033ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB run Granite 4.1 3B for coding?

For coding workloads, Granite 4.1 3B on RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB receives a B grade with 48.0 tok/s and 131K context.

What context window can Granite 4.1 3B use on RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB?

On RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB, Granite 4.1 3B can safely use up to 131K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB See all hardware for Granite 4.1 3B

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