Can Solar 7B run on GTX 1060 6GB?

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run

Estimated from fit model

Solar 7B needs ~9.0 GB but GTX 1060 6GB only has 6.0 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: OllamaCapacity: No fitBandwidth: Very lowStack: BasicBottleneck: 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) — 9.0 GB, exceeds 6.0 GB available

9.0 GB required6.0 GB available

150% VRAM needed

3.0 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

8.5 tok/s

TTFT

22671 ms

Safe context

Memory

9.0 GB / 6.0 GB

Offload

30%

Memory breakdown

Weights4.3 GB

KV Cache2.9 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom0.6 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower

See how fast it feelsSolar 7B on GTX 1060 6GB
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: 8.5 tok/s decode · 22.7s TTFT (warm) · 21 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable VRAM is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 9.0 GB, but this setup only exposes 6.0 GB of usable VRAM.

Older PCIe generation

PCIe 3.0 is workable, but it compounds the penalty when you offload heavily or try to scale across multiple cards.

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	12.6 tok/s	8371 ms	4K
Coding	F	Too heavy	8.5 tok/s	22671 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	4.6 tok/s	61229 ms	4K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	8.5 tok/s	26792 ms	4K
RAG	F	Too heavy	4.6 tok/s	76536 ms	4K

Quantization options

How Solar 7B (7B params) fits at each quantization level on GTX 1060 6GB (6.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	2.7 GB	Low	A75
Q3_K_SBest for your GPU	3	3.4 GB	Low	A74

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Solar 7B well

RTX 3050 8GBBest value

8 GB VRAM (+2)224 GB/s (+32)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.20.8 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 145%.

~$249 MSRP

RTX 5060 8GBNVIDIA upgrade

8 GB VRAM (+2)448 GB/s (+256)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.39.6 tok/s decode

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

Raises estimated decode speed by about 366%.

~$299 MSRP

RTX 3060 12GBBudget pick

12 GB VRAM (+6)360 GB/s (+168)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.59.8 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.

~$329 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can GTX 1060 6GB run Solar 7B?

No, Solar 7B requires more memory than GTX 1060 6GB provides.

How much VRAM does Solar 7B need?

Solar 7B (7B parameters) requires approximately 9.0 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Solar 7B?

The recommended quantization for Solar 7B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Solar 7B run at on GTX 1060 6GB?

On GTX 1060 6GB, Solar 7B achieves approximately 8.5 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 22671ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can GTX 1060 6GB run Solar 7B for coding?

For coding workloads, Solar 7B on GTX 1060 6GB receives a F grade with 8.5 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can Solar 7B use on GTX 1060 6GB?

On GTX 1060 6GB, Solar 7B can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 8K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Solar 7B feels slow on GTX 1060 6GB?

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.

See all results for GTX 1060 6GB See all hardware for Solar 7B

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