Can StarCoder2 15B run on NVIDIA A40 48GB?

YES — Runs Great

C48Usable

Estimated from fit model

StarCoder2 15B needs ~16.9 GB VRAM. NVIDIA A40 48GB has 48.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~59 tok/s.

Runtime: OllamaCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: MediumStack: BasicBottleneck: 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) — 16.9 GB, 59.3 tok/s, Runs well

16.9 GB required48.0 GB available

35% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

59.3 tok/s

TTFT

3263 ms

Safe context

299K

Memory

16.9 GB / 48.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights9.2 GB

KV Cache1.8 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom4.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsStarCoder2 15B on NVIDIA A40 48GB
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: 59.3 tok/s decode · 3.3s TTFT (warm) · 148 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	C	Runs well	59.3 tok/s	1780 ms	299K
Coding	C	Runs well	59.3 tok/s	3263 ms	299K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	59.3 tok/s	4746 ms	299K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	59.3 tok/s	3856 ms	299K
RAG	C	Runs well	59.3 tok/s	5933 ms	299K

Quantization options

How StarCoder2 15B (15B params) fits at each quantization level on NVIDIA A40 48GB (48.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	5.9 GB	Low	C42
Q3_K_S	3	7.4 GB	Low	C42
NVFP4	4	8.4 GB	Medium	C42
Q4_K_M	4	9.2 GB	Medium	C43
Q5_K_M	5	10.8 GB	High	C43
Q6_K	6	12.3 GB	High	C43
Q8_0	8	16.1 GB	Very High	C45
F16Best for your GPU	16	30.7 GB	Maximum	C48

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run StarCoder2 15B on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-second-state--starcoder2-15b-gguf && lms server start

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs StarCoder2 15B well

AMD Instinct MI210 64GBBudget pick

64 GB VRAM (+16)1638 GB/s (+942)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 105%.121.7 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 105%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

~$10,000 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can NVIDIA A40 48GB run StarCoder2 15B?

Yes, NVIDIA A40 48GB can run StarCoder2 15B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 59.3 tok/s.

How much VRAM does StarCoder2 15B need?

StarCoder2 15B (15B parameters) requires approximately 16.9 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for StarCoder2 15B?

The recommended quantization for StarCoder2 15B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will StarCoder2 15B run at on NVIDIA A40 48GB?

On NVIDIA A40 48GB, StarCoder2 15B achieves approximately 59.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 3263ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can NVIDIA A40 48GB run StarCoder2 15B for coding?

For coding workloads, StarCoder2 15B on NVIDIA A40 48GB receives a C grade with 59.3 tok/s and 299K context.

What context window can StarCoder2 15B use on NVIDIA A40 48GB?

On NVIDIA A40 48GB, StarCoder2 15B can safely use up to 299K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for NVIDIA A40 48GB See all hardware for StarCoder2 15B

Embed this result▼

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<iframe src="https://willitrunai.com/embed/hf-second-state--starcoder2-15b-gguf-on-a40-48gb" width="400" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;" title="Will It Run AI — fit result"></iframe>

Preview:

Workload

Grade

Fit

Decode

TTFT

Context

Chat

Runs well

59.3 tok/s

1780 ms

299K

Coding

Runs well

59.3 tok/s

3263 ms

299K

Agentic Coding

Runs well

59.3 tok/s

4746 ms

299K

Reasoning

Runs well

59.3 tok/s

3856 ms

299K

RAG

Runs well

59.3 tok/s

5933 ms

299K

Quantization options

How StarCoder2 15B (15B params) fits at each quantization level on NVIDIA A40 48GB (48.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	5.9 GB	Low	C42
Q3_K_S	3	7.4 GB	Low	C42
NVFP4	4	8.4 GB	Medium	C42
Q4_K_M	4	9.2 GB	Medium	C43
Q5_K_M	5	10.8 GB	High	C43
Q6_K	6	12.3 GB	High	C43
Q8_0	8	16.1 GB	Very High	C45
F16Best for your GPU	16	30.7 GB	Maximum	C48

Frequently asked questions

Can NVIDIA A40 48GB run StarCoder2 15B?

Yes, NVIDIA A40 48GB can run StarCoder2 15B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 59.3 tok/s.

How much VRAM does StarCoder2 15B need?

StarCoder2 15B (15B parameters) requires approximately 16.9 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for StarCoder2 15B?

The recommended quantization for StarCoder2 15B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will StarCoder2 15B run at on NVIDIA A40 48GB?

On NVIDIA A40 48GB, StarCoder2 15B achieves approximately 59.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 3263ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can NVIDIA A40 48GB run StarCoder2 15B for coding?

For coding workloads, StarCoder2 15B on NVIDIA A40 48GB receives a C grade with 59.3 tok/s and 299K context.

What context window can StarCoder2 15B use on NVIDIA A40 48GB?

On NVIDIA A40 48GB, StarCoder2 15B can safely use up to 299K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.