Can Qwen 3 30B A3B run on RX 6700 XT 12GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if Qwen 3 30B A3B feels slow on RX 6700 XT 12GB?

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

Qwen 3 30B A3B needs ~22.2 GB but RX 6700 XT 12GB only has 12.0 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: No fitBandwidth: LowStack: 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) — 22.2 GB, exceeds 12.0 GB available

22.2 GB required12.0 GB available

185% VRAM needed

10.2 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

6.2 tok/s

TTFT

31123 ms

Safe context

Memory

22.2 GB / 12.0 GB

Offload

50%

Memory breakdown

Weights18.6 GB

KV Cache1.5 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom1.2 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower

See how fast it feelsQwen 3 30B A3B on RX 6700 XT 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: 6.2 tok/s decode · 31.1s TTFT (warm) · 16 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable VRAM is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 22.2 GB, but this setup only exposes 12.0 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	6.7 tok/s	15817 ms	4K
Coding	F	Too heavy	6.2 tok/s	31123 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	5.4 tok/s	51796 ms	4K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	6.2 tok/s	36781 ms	4K
RAG	F	Too heavy	5.4 tok/s	64745 ms	4K

Quantization options

How Qwen 3 30B A3B (30.5B params) fits at each quantization level on RX 6700 XT 12GB (12.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	11.9 GB	Low	F0
Q3_K_S	3	14.9 GB	Low	F0
NVFP4	4

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Qwen 3 30B A3B well

RX 7900 XT 20GBBest value

20 GB VRAM (+8)800 GB/s (+416)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.40.7 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 556%.

~$899 MSRP

RX 7900 XTX 24GBBudget pick

24 GB VRAM (+12)960 GB/s (+576)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.104.5 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.

~$999 MSRP

Radeon AI PRO R9700 32GBAMD upgrade

32 GB VRAM (+20)640 GB/s (+256)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.57.1 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.

~$1,899 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can RX 6700 XT 12GB run Qwen 3 30B A3B?

No, Qwen 3 30B A3B requires more memory than RX 6700 XT 12GB provides.

How much VRAM does Qwen 3 30B A3B need?

Qwen 3 30B A3B (30.5B parameters) requires approximately 22.2 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Qwen 3 30B A3B?

The recommended quantization for Qwen 3 30B A3B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Qwen 3 30B A3B run at on RX 6700 XT 12GB?

On RX 6700 XT 12GB, Qwen 3 30B A3B achieves approximately 6.2 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 31123ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can RX 6700 XT 12GB run Qwen 3 30B A3B for coding?

For coding workloads, Qwen 3 30B A3B on RX 6700 XT 12GB receives a F grade with 6.2 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can Qwen 3 30B A3B use on RX 6700 XT 12GB?

On RX 6700 XT 12GB, Qwen 3 30B A3B can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 131K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Qwen 3 30B A3B feels slow on RX 6700 XT 12GB?

See all results for RX 6700 XT 12GB See all hardware for Qwen 3 30B A3B

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