Can Granite 4.1 8B run on GTX 1660 Ti 6GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if Granite 4.1 8B feels slow on GTX 1660 Ti 6GB?

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.

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run

Estimated from fit model

Granite 4.1 8B needs ~9.1 GB but GTX 1660 Ti 6GB only has 6.0 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) — 9.1 GB, exceeds 6.0 GB available

9.1 GB required6.0 GB available

152% VRAM needed

3.1 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

10.1 tok/s

TTFT

19084 ms

Safe context

Memory

9.1 GB / 6.0 GB

Offload

30%

Memory breakdown

Weights4.9 GB

KV Cache2.4 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom0.6 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower

See how fast it feelsGranite 4.1 8B on GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
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: 10.1 tok/s decode · 19.1s TTFT (warm) · 25 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable VRAM is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 9.1 GB, but this setup only exposes 6.0 GB of usable VRAM.

Older PCIe generation

PCIe 3.0 is workable, but it compounds the penalty when you offload heavily or try to scale across multiple cards.

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	13.9 tok/s	7593 ms	4K
Coding	F	Too heavy	10.1 tok/s	19084 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	6.0 tok/s	46729 ms	4K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	10.1 tok/s	22554 ms	4K
RAG	F	Too heavy	6.0 tok/s	58411 ms	4K

Quantization options

How Granite 4.1 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on GTX 1660 Ti 6GB (6.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_KBest for your GPU	2	3.1 GB	Low	A78
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	F0

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Granite 4.1 8B well

RTX 3050 8GBBest value

8 GB VRAM (+2)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.17.7 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 75%.

~$249 MSRP

RTX 5060 8GBNVIDIA upgrade

8 GB VRAM (+2)448 GB/s (+160)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.33.7 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 234%.

~$299 MSRP

RTX 3060 12GBBudget pick

12 GB VRAM (+6)360 GB/s (+72)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.52.3 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.

~$329 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can GTX 1660 Ti 6GB run Granite 4.1 8B?

No, Granite 4.1 8B requires more memory than GTX 1660 Ti 6GB provides.

How much VRAM does Granite 4.1 8B need?

Granite 4.1 8B (8B parameters) requires approximately 9.1 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 GTX 1660 Ti 6GB?

On GTX 1660 Ti 6GB, Granite 4.1 8B achieves approximately 10.1 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 19084ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can GTX 1660 Ti 6GB run Granite 4.1 8B for coding?

For coding workloads, Granite 4.1 8B on GTX 1660 Ti 6GB receives a F grade with 10.1 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can Granite 4.1 8B use on GTX 1660 Ti 6GB?

On GTX 1660 Ti 6GB, Granite 4.1 8B can safely use up to 4K 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 GTX 1660 Ti 6GB?

See all results for GTX 1660 Ti 6GB See all hardware for Granite 4.1 8B

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