Would CUDA be a better path than Intel Arc A580 8GB for Nemotron Nano 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 Nemotron Nano 8B run on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if Nemotron Nano 8B feels slow on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

Remove offload with more accelerator memory. Prioritize a GPU or unified-memory tier that fits the whole model natively. Removing offload usually helps more than small compute gains.

YES — With Offload

A76Great

Estimated from fit model

Nemotron Nano 8B needs ~8.5 GB VRAM. Intel Arc A580 8GB has 8.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~36 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: OffloadBandwidth: MediumStack: StandardBottleneck: Host offload

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) — 8.5 GB, 36.2 tok/s, Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)

8.5 GB required8.0 GB available

106% VRAM needed

0.5 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)

Decode

36.2 tok/s

TTFT

5350 ms

Safe context

12K

Memory

8.5 GB / 8.0 GB

Offload

10%

Memory breakdown

Weights4.9 GB

KV Cache2.0 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom0.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsNemotron Nano 8B on Intel Arc A580 8GB
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: 36.2 tok/s decode · 5.3s TTFT (warm) · 91 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

It fits through host-memory offload, and offload is the main reason performance drops.

CPU or host-memory offload is active

About 10% of the working set spills out of accelerator memory, which usually hurts latency and sustained decode throughput.

Very little memory headroom

You can run the model, but there is not much room left for longer context, bigger batches, extra apps, or future model updates.

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

Remove offload with more accelerator memory

Prioritize a GPU or unified-memory tier that fits the whole model natively. Removing offload usually helps more than small compute gains.

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.

Buy headroom, not only minimum fit

A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	S	Tight fit	55.3 tok/s	1911 ms	12K
Coding	A	Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)	36.2 tok/s	5350 ms	12K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	23.4 tok/s	12009 ms	12K
Reasoning	A	Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)	36.2 tok/s	6323 ms	12K
RAG	F	Too heavy	23.4 tok/s	15012 ms

Quantization options

How Nemotron Nano 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on Intel Arc A580 8GB (8.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	3.1 GB	Low	S89
Q3_K_S	3	3.9 GB	Low	S88
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Nemotron Nano 8B on your machine.

Run

lms load Llama-3.1-Nemotron-Nano-8B-v1 && lms server start

Your hardware

More models your Intel Arc A580 8GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode	Capabilities
Qwen 3.5 9B	9B	A	26.3 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can Intel Arc A580 8GB run Nemotron Nano 8B?

Yes, Intel Arc A580 8GB can run Nemotron Nano 8B with a A grade (Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)). Expected decode speed: 36.2 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Nemotron Nano 8B need?

Nemotron Nano 8B (8B parameters) requires approximately 8.5 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Nemotron Nano 8B?

The recommended quantization for Nemotron Nano 8B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Nemotron Nano 8B run at on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

On Intel Arc A580 8GB, Nemotron Nano 8B achieves approximately 36.2 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 5350ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Intel Arc A580 8GB run Nemotron Nano 8B for coding?

For coding workloads, Nemotron Nano 8B on Intel Arc A580 8GB receives a A grade with 36.2 tok/s and 12K context.

What context window can Nemotron Nano 8B use on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

On Intel Arc A580 8GB, Nemotron Nano 8B can safely use up to 12K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Nemotron Nano 8B feels slow on Intel Arc A580 8GB?

See all results for Intel Arc A580 8GB See all hardware for Nemotron Nano 8B

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