Would CUDA be a better path than Intel Arc A730M 12GB for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 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 DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B run on Intel Arc A730M 12GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B feels slow on Intel Arc A730M 12GB?

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.

YES — Runs Great

C53Usable

Estimated from fit model

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B needs ~7.9 GB VRAM. Intel Arc A730M 12GB has 12.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~34 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: LowStack: 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) — 7.9 GB, 33.7 tok/s, Runs well

7.9 GB required12.0 GB available

66% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

33.7 tok/s

TTFT

5738 ms

Safe context

86K

Memory

7.9 GB / 12.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights4.9 GB

KV Cache0.9 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom1.2 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsDeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on Intel Arc A730M 12GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step.

Given information:
  - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour)
  - Time  = 2.5 hours

Formula: Distance = Speed x Time

Calculation:
  Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h
           = 150 miles

The train travels 150 miles.

Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time.

Breakdown:
  - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles
  - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance)
  - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles

Total distance: 150 miles (same)
Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours
Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph

The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 33.7 tok/s decode · 5.7s TTFT (warm) · 84 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

The raw memory story may look fine, but the software ecosystem is still a constraint here.

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

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.

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	C	Runs well	33.7 tok/s	3130 ms	86K
Coding	C	Runs well	33.7 tok/s	5738 ms	86K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs well	33.7 tok/s	8347 ms	86K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	33.7 tok/s	6782 ms	86K
RAG	C	Runs well	33.7 tok/s	10433 ms	86K

Quantization options

How DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on Intel Arc A730M 12GB (12.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.1 GB	Low	C50
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	C51
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on your machine.

Run

lms load hf-unsloth--deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8b-gguf && lms server start

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B well

RTX 5070 Ti 16GBBudget pick

16 GB VRAM (+4)896 GB/s (+560)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 249%.117.5 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 249%.

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

This is not only a hardware jump. It also gives you a cleaner runtime ecosystem for local LLM tooling.

~$749 MSRP

RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GBBest value

16 GB VRAM (+4)672 GB/s (+336)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 201%.101.4 tok/s decode

Raises estimated decode speed by about 201%.

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

This is not only a hardware jump. It also gives you a cleaner runtime ecosystem for local LLM tooling.

~$799 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can Intel Arc A730M 12GB run DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B?

Yes, Intel Arc A730M 12GB can run DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 33.7 tok/s.

How much VRAM does DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B need?

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B (8B parameters) requires approximately 7.9 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B?

The recommended quantization for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B run at on Intel Arc A730M 12GB?

On Intel Arc A730M 12GB, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B achieves approximately 33.7 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 5738ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Intel Arc A730M 12GB run DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B for coding?

For coding workloads, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B on Intel Arc A730M 12GB receives a C grade with 33.7 tok/s and 86K context.

What context window can DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B use on Intel Arc A730M 12GB?

On Intel Arc A730M 12GB, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B can safely use up to 86K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is —, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for Intel Arc A730M 12GB See all hardware for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B

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