MacBook Air M4 24GBGünstige Wahl
24 GB Unified (+8)
B
This setup is broadly balanced for this model.42 tok/s Dekodierung
ca. $1,099 MSRP
Can SmolLM3 3B run on NVIDIA T4 16GB?
YES — Runs Great
B56Good
Estimated from fit model
SmolLM3 3B needs ~6.6 GB VRAM. NVIDIA T4 16GB has 16.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~42 tok/s.
Runtime: OllamaCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: LowStack: BasicBottleneck: 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.
Select quantization to explore
Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 6.6 GB, 42.0 tok/s, Runs well
6.6 GB required16.0 GB available
41% VRAM used
Fit status
Runs well
Decode
42.0 tok/s
TTFT
4610 ms
Safe context
93K
Memory
6.6 GB / 16.0 GB
Memory breakdown
Weights1.8 GB
KV Cache2.0 GB
Runtime1.2 GB
Headroom1.6 GB
See how fast it feels
See how fast it feelsSmolLM3 3B on NVIDIA T4 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: 42.0 tok/s decode · 4.6s TTFT (warm) · 105 tok/s prefill
What limits this setup
This setup is broadly balanced for this model.
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
Performance by workload
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | C | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 2514 ms | 93K |
| Coding | B | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 4610 ms | 93K |
| Agentic Coding | B | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 6705 ms | 93K |
| Reasoning | B | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 5448 ms | 93K |
| RAG | B | Runs well | 42.0 tok/s | 8381 ms | 93K |
Quantization options
How SmolLM3 3B (3B params) fits at each quantization level on NVIDIA T4 16GB (16.0 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 1.2 GB | Low | C53 |
Q3_K_S | 3 | 1.5 GB | Low | C54 |
NVFP4 | 4 | 1.7 GB | Medium | C54 |
Q4_K_M | 4 | 1.8 GB | Medium | C54 |
Q5_K_M | 5 | 2.2 GB | High | C54 |
Q6_K | 6 | 2.5 GB | High | C54 |
Q8_0 | 8 | 3.2 GB | Very High | C55 |
F16Best for your GPU | 16 | 6.1 GB | Maximum | B58 |
Get started
Copy-paste commands to run SmolLM3 3B on your machine.
Run
lms load SmolLM3-3B && lms server startUpgrade-Optionen
Hardware, die SmolLM3 3B gut ausführt
Frequently asked questions
Can NVIDIA T4 16GB run SmolLM3 3B?
Yes, NVIDIA T4 16GB can run SmolLM3 3B with a B grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 42.0 tok/s.
How much VRAM does SmolLM3 3B need?
SmolLM3 3B (3B parameters) requires approximately 6.6 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.
What is the best quantization for SmolLM3 3B?
The recommended quantization for SmolLM3 3B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.
What speed will SmolLM3 3B run at on NVIDIA T4 16GB?
On NVIDIA T4 16GB, SmolLM3 3B achieves approximately 42.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 4610ms using Q4_K_M quantization.
Can NVIDIA T4 16GB run SmolLM3 3B for coding?
For coding workloads, SmolLM3 3B on NVIDIA T4 16GB receives a B grade with 42.0 tok/s and 93K context.
What context window can SmolLM3 3B use on NVIDIA T4 16GB?
On NVIDIA T4 16GB, SmolLM3 3B can safely use up to 93K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.
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<iframe src="https://willitrunai.com/embed/smollm3-3b-on-t4-16gb" width="400" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;" title="Will It Run AI — fit result"></iframe>
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