Llama 3.1 8B vs Qwen 3 8B
Comparing VRAM requirements, performance, and capabilities for running these models locally with Ollama.
Parameters
8B
Context
128K
VRAM Range
6.3–18 GB
Recommended
Q8_0 (10 GB)
By Meta · License Llama 3.1 Community License
Parameters
8B
Context
128K
VRAM Range
7.5–20 GB
Recommended
Q4_K_M (7.5 GB)
By Alibaba · License Apache 2.0
VRAM Requirements by Quantization
Side-by-side memory needs at each quality level.
| Quantization | Llama 3.1 8B | Qwen 3 8B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q4_K_M | 6.3 GB | 7.5 GB | -1.2 GB |
| Q8_0 | 10 GB | 11.5 GB | -1.5 GB |
| F16 | 18 GB | 20 GB | -2.0 GB |
Capabilities
Feature support comparison.
| Capability | Llama 3.1 8B | Qwen 3 8B |
|---|---|---|
| text generation | Yes | Yes |
| code generation | Yes | Yes |
| multilingual | Yes | Yes |
| tool use | Yes | Yes |
| summarization | Yes | Yes |
| reasoning | — | Yes |
| math | — | Yes |
Benchmark Scores
Higher is better. Scores from published evaluations.
| Benchmark | Llama 3.1 8B | Qwen 3 8B |
|---|---|---|
| mmlu | 73.0 | 73.5 |
Hardware Compatibility
Can each model run at recommended quantization on common VRAM tiers?
| VRAM | Llama 3.1 8B | Qwen 3 8B |
|---|---|---|
| 8 GB | Offload | Tight |
| 12 GB | Runs | Runs |
| 16 GB | Runs | Runs |
| 24 GB | Runs | Runs |
| 32 GB | Runs | Runs |
| 48 GB | Runs | Runs |
| 64 GB | Runs | Runs |
| 96 GB | Runs | Runs |
Run Llama 3.1 8B
ollama run 8b-instruct-q8_0 Run Qwen 3 8B
ollama run 8b-q4_K_M Check your exact hardware
Use the compatibility checker to see how each model performs on your specific GPU or Mac.