Can Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E run on RX 6950 XT 16GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E feels slow on RX 6950 XT 16GB?

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

Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E needs ~71.9 GB but RX 6950 XT 16GB only has 16.0 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: No fitBandwidth: MediumStack: StandardBottleneck: 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) — 71.9 GB, exceeds 16.0 GB available

71.9 GB required16.0 GB available

449% VRAM needed

55.9 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

2.0 tok/s

TTFT

96800 ms

Safe context

Memory

71.9 GB / 16.0 GB

Offload

80%

Memory breakdown

Weights66.5 GB

KV Cache2.9 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom1.6 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower

See how fast it feelsLlama 4 Scout 17B 16E on RX 6950 XT 16GB
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: 2.0 tok/s decode · 96.8s TTFT (warm) · 5 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable VRAM is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 71.9 GB, but this setup only exposes 16.0 GB of usable VRAM.

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	2.0 tok/s	52800 ms	4K
Coding	F	Too heavy	2.0 tok/s	96800 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	2.0 tok/s	140800 ms	4K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	2.0 tok/s	114400 ms	4K
RAG	F	Too heavy	2.0 tok/s	176000 ms	4K

Inference speed

Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E inference speed — tokens per second by GPU & Mac

Estimated decode speed (tokens/sec) for Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E at Q4_K_M across popular GPUs and Apple Silicon, including multi-GPU rigs, using the fastest local runtime per device. Fastest is Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB at ~21 tok/s. Speed is memory-bandwidth bound, so cards that fit the whole model in VRAM run far faster than ones that offload to system RAM.

GPU / Mac	Memory	Quant	Speed (tok/s)	Fits?
Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB	256 GB	Q4_K_M	21.3	Fits

Quantization options

How Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E (109B params) fits at each quantization level on RX 6950 XT 16GB (16.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	42.5 GB	Low	F0
Q3_K_S	3	53.4 GB	Low	F0
NVFP4	4

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E well

AMD Instinct MI350X 288GBBudget pick

288 GB VRAM (+272)8000 GB/s (+7424)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.223.3 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.

~$8,000 MSRP

AMD Instinct MI210 64GBAMD upgrade

64 GB VRAM (+48)1638 GB/s (+1062)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.21.8 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 990%.

~$10,000 MSRP

AMD Instinct MI300A 128GBBest value

128 GB VRAM (+112)5300 GB/s (+4724)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.141.9 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.

~$12,000 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can RX 6950 XT 16GB run Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E?

No, Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E requires more memory than RX 6950 XT 16GB provides.

How much VRAM does Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E need?

Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E (109B parameters) requires approximately 71.9 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E?

The recommended quantization for Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E run at on RX 6950 XT 16GB?

On RX 6950 XT 16GB, Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E achieves approximately 2.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 96800ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can RX 6950 XT 16GB run Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E for coding?

For coding workloads, Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E on RX 6950 XT 16GB receives a F grade with 2.0 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E use on RX 6950 XT 16GB?

On RX 6950 XT 16GB, Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 10.5M, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E feels slow on RX 6950 XT 16GB?

See all results for RX 6950 XT 16GB See all hardware for Llama 4 Scout 17B 16E

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