Can StarCoder2 15B run on RX 6950 XT 16GB?

YES — Tight Fit

C52Usable

Estimated from fit model

StarCoder2 15B needs ~14.5 GB VRAM. RX 6950 XT 16GB has 16.0 GB. With Q5_K_M quantization, expect ~34 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: TightBandwidth: MediumStack: StandardBottleneck: 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.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q5_K_M (High quality) — 14.5 GB, 34.4 tok/s, Tight fit

14.5 GB required16.0 GB available

91% VRAM used

Fit status

Tight fit

Decode

34.4 tok/s

TTFT

5621 ms

Safe context

16K

Memory

14.5 GB / 16.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights10.8 GB

KV Cache1.2 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom1.6 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsStarCoder2 15B on RX 6950 XT 16GB
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: 34.4 tok/s decode · 5.6s TTFT (warm) · 86 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

This setup is broadly balanced for this model.

No major red flags

This recommendation has enough memory headroom and acceptable estimated speed for the selected workload.

Best improvement path

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	C	Tight fit	34.4 tok/s	3066 ms	16K
Coding	C	Tight fit	34.4 tok/s	5621 ms	16K
Agentic Coding	C	Runs with offload	34.4 tok/s	8176 ms	16K
Reasoning	C	Tight fit	34.4 tok/s	6643 ms	16K
RAG	C	Runs with offload	34.4 tok/s	10219 ms	16K

Quantization options

How StarCoder2 15B (15B params) fits at each quantization level on RX 6950 XT 16GB (16.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	5.9 GB	Low	C51
Q3_K_S	3	7.4 GB	Low	C53
NVFP4	4	8.4 GB	Medium	C53
Q4_K_M	4	9.2 GB	Medium	C53
Q5_K_M	5	10.8 GB	High	C52
Q6_KBest for your GPU	6	12.3 GB	High	C52
Q8_0	8	16.1 GB	Very High	F0
F16	16	30.7 GB	Maximum	F0

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run StarCoder2 15B on your machine.

Run

docker run --rm -it ghcr.io/ggerganov/llama.cpp:full \
  --hf-repo "bigcode/starcoder2-15b" \
  --hf-file "starcoder2-15b-Q5_K_M.gguf" \
  -c 4096 -ngl 99

Upgrade-Optionen

Hardware, die StarCoder2 15B gut ausführt

RX 7900 XT 20GBGünstige Wahl

20 GB VRAM (+4)800 GB/s (+224)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 44%.49.5 tok/s Dekodierung

Raises estimated decode speed by about 44%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

ca. $899 MSRP

RX 7900 XTX 24GBBestes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis

24 GB VRAM (+8)960 GB/s (+384)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 107%.71.3 tok/s Dekodierung

Raises estimated decode speed by about 107%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

ca. $999 MSRP

AMD Instinct MI60 32GBAMD-Upgrade

32 GB VRAM (+16)1024 GB/s (+448)

Raises estimated decode speed by about 50%.51.7 tok/s Dekodierung

Raises estimated decode speed by about 50%.

Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.

ca. $8,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can RX 6950 XT 16GB run StarCoder2 15B?

Yes, RX 6950 XT 16GB can run StarCoder2 15B with a C grade (Tight fit). Expected decode speed: 34.4 tok/s.

How much VRAM does StarCoder2 15B need?

StarCoder2 15B (15B parameters) requires approximately 14.5 GB of memory with Q5_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for StarCoder2 15B?

The recommended quantization for StarCoder2 15B is Q5_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will StarCoder2 15B run at on RX 6950 XT 16GB?

On RX 6950 XT 16GB, StarCoder2 15B achieves approximately 34.4 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 5621ms using Q5_K_M quantization.

Can RX 6950 XT 16GB run StarCoder2 15B for coding?

For coding workloads, StarCoder2 15B on RX 6950 XT 16GB receives a C grade with 34.4 tok/s and 16K context.

What context window can StarCoder2 15B use on RX 6950 XT 16GB?

On RX 6950 XT 16GB, StarCoder2 15B can safely use up to 16K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 16K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for RX 6950 XT 16GB See all hardware for StarCoder2 15B

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