MacBook Pro M3 24GBBudget pick
24 GB Unified (+12)
D
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.7 tok/s decode
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$1,099 MSRP
SmolVLM 500M Instruct needs ~2.9 GB VRAM. RTX 3060 12GB has 12.0 GB. With Q6_K quantization, expect ~7 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 well
Decode
7.0 tok/s
TTFT
27657 ms
Safe context
1.5M
Memory
2.9 GB / 12.0 GB
This model fits, but memory bandwidth is the part holding decode speed back.
Throughput will feel slow
Estimated decode speed is only 7.0 tok/s, so this is more of a technical fit than a comfortable daily-driver setup.
Prioritize bandwidth, not only capacity
If this workload feels slow, the next useful step is often a GPU tier with materially faster memory bandwidth rather than only a small bump in capacity.
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | D | Runs well | 7.0 tok/s | 15086 ms | 735K |
| Coding | D | Runs well | 7.0 tok/s | 27657 ms | 1.5M |
| Agentic Coding | D | Runs well | 7.0 tok/s | 40229 ms | 2.5M |
| Reasoning | D | Runs well | 7.0 tok/s | 32686 ms | 1.5M |
| RAG | D | Runs well | 7.0 tok/s | 50286 ms | 2.5M |
How SmolVLM 500M Instruct (0.5B params) fits at each quantization level on RTX 3060 12GB (12.0 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 0.2 GB | Low | C47 |
Q3_K_S | 3 | 0.2 GB | Low | C47 |
NVFP4 | 4 |
Copy-paste commands to run SmolVLM 500M Instruct on your machine.
Run
docker run --rm -it ghcr.io/ggerganov/llama.cpp:full \
--hf-repo "ggml-org/SmolVLM-500M-Instruct-GGUF" \
--hf-file "SmolVLM-500M-Instruct-GGUF-Q6_K.gguf" \
-c 4096 -ngl 99Upgrade options
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$1,099 MSRP
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$1,099 MSRP
Yes, RTX 3060 12GB can run SmolVLM 500M Instruct with a D grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 7.0 tok/s.
SmolVLM 500M Instruct (0.5B parameters) requires approximately 2.9 GB of memory with Q6_K quantization.
The recommended quantization for SmolVLM 500M Instruct is Q6_K, which balances quality and memory efficiency.
On RTX 3060 12GB, SmolVLM 500M Instruct achieves approximately 7.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 27657ms using Q6_K quantization.
For coding workloads, SmolVLM 500M Instruct on RTX 3060 12GB receives a D grade with 7.0 tok/s and 1.5M context.
On RTX 3060 12GB, SmolVLM 500M Instruct can safely use up to 1.5M tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, 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/hf-ggml-org--smolvlm-500m-instruct-gguf-on-rtx-3060-12gb" width="400" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;" title="Will It Run AI — fit result"></iframe>
Preview:
0.3 GB |
| Medium |
| C47 |
Q4_K_M | 4 | 0.3 GB | Medium | C47 |
Q5_K_M | 5 | 0.4 GB | High | C47 |
Q6_K | 6 | 0.4 GB | High | C47 |
Q8_0 | 8 | 0.5 GB | Very High | C47 |
F16Best for your GPU | 16 | 1.0 GB | Maximum | C47 |
Prioritize bandwidth, not only capacity. If this workload feels slow, the next useful step is often a GPU tier with materially faster memory bandwidth rather than only a small bump in capacity.