Would CUDA be a better path than Intel Arc A580 8GB for Granite 4.1 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 Granite 4.1 8B run on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if Granite 4.1 8B feels slow on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

Remove offload with more accelerator memory. Prioritize a GPU or unified-memory tier that fits the whole model natively. Removing offload usually helps more than small compute gains.

BARELY — Tight on Memory

B65Good

Estimated from fit model

Granite 4.1 8B needs ~9.0 GB VRAM. Intel Arc A580 8GB has 8.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~32 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: OffloadBandwidth: MediumStack: StandardBottleneck: Host offload

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) — 9.0 GB, 32.2 tok/s, Very compromised (needs ~0.6 GB host RAM)

9.0 GB required8.0 GB available

113% VRAM needed

1.0 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Very compromised (needs ~0.6 GB host RAM)

Decode

32.2 tok/s

TTFT

6015 ms

Safe context

Memory

9.0 GB / 8.0 GB

Offload

10%

Memory breakdown

Weights4.9 GB

KV Cache2.4 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom0.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGranite 4.1 8B on Intel Arc A580 8GB
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: 32.2 tok/s decode · 6.0s TTFT (warm) · 81 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

It fits through host-memory offload, and offload is the main reason performance drops.

CPU or host-memory offload is active

About 10% of the working set spills out of accelerator memory, which usually hurts latency and sustained decode throughput.

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.

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

Remove offload with more accelerator memory

Prioritize a GPU or unified-memory tier that fits the whole model natively. Removing offload usually helps more than small compute gains.

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.

Buy headroom, not only minimum fit

A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	A	Runs with offload	55.3 tok/s	1911 ms	9K
Coding	B	Very compromised (needs ~0.6 GB host RAM)	32.2 tok/s	6015 ms	9K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	19.4 tok/s	14485 ms	9K
Reasoning	B	Very compromised (needs ~0.6 GB host RAM)	32.2 tok/s	7109 ms	9K
RAG	F	Too heavy	19.4 tok/s	18106 ms

Quantization options

How Granite 4.1 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on Intel Arc A580 8GB (8.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.1 GB	Low	A78
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	A78
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Granite 4.1 8B on your machine.

Run

ollama run granite4.1:8b

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Granite 4.1 8B well

Intel Arc B570 10GBBudget pick

10 GB VRAM (+2)

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.45.2 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 40%.

~$219 MSRP

Intel Arc B580 12GBBest value

12 GB VRAM (+4)

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.48.2 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 50%.

~$249 MSRP

Intel Arc A770 16GBIntel upgrade

16 GB VRAM (+8)560 GB/s (+48)

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.55.5 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 72%.

~$349 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can Intel Arc A580 8GB run Granite 4.1 8B?

Yes, Intel Arc A580 8GB can run Granite 4.1 8B with a B grade (Very compromised (needs ~0.6 GB host RAM)). Expected decode speed: 32.2 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Granite 4.1 8B need?

Granite 4.1 8B (8B parameters) requires approximately 9.0 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Granite 4.1 8B?

The recommended quantization for Granite 4.1 8B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Granite 4.1 8B run at on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

On Intel Arc A580 8GB, Granite 4.1 8B achieves approximately 32.2 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 6015ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Intel Arc A580 8GB run Granite 4.1 8B for coding?

For coding workloads, Granite 4.1 8B on Intel Arc A580 8GB receives a B grade with 32.2 tok/s and 9K context.

What context window can Granite 4.1 8B use on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

On Intel Arc A580 8GB, Granite 4.1 8B can safely use up to 9K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Granite 4.1 8B feels slow on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

See all results for Intel Arc A580 8GB See all hardware for Granite 4.1 8B

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