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Local LLM Guide

Model

Meta Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Start with a supported compressed build and short context. 8GB RAM estimate. Best use: small local assistant deployments

3BText chat

Best use

small local assistant deployments · summarization and prompt rewriting

Memory planning

8GB RAM estimate

Expected pace

Depends on your hardware, app, and conversation length

License

Llama 3.2 Community License; read the model’s terms before use

Who should use this model?

  • small local assistant deployments
  • summarization and prompt rewriting
  • tool-use experiments on low-memory systems
  • edge-friendly multilingual chat

Choose something else when

  • you need 7B-or-larger answer quality
  • you need robust complex reasoning
  • you need an Apache-2.0 license

What hardware makes sense?

The download is only part of the memory needed. Leave room for the app, the input it processes, and other open programs. For chat models, context includes the instructions, conversation, and answer. Longer context needs more memory.

CPU only
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
8GB system memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
16GB system memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
32GB system memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
8GB GPU memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
12GB GPU memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
24GB GPU memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
Apple unified memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.

Model facts that change the decision

Parameters
3B
Input
Text
Published context limit
128,000 tokens
Model format
safetensors · GGUF · Ollama
Suggested compression
Q4_K_M
Typical Q4 file
2.02GB before runtime and context overhead
Languages
English · German · French · Italian · Portuguese · Hindi · Spanish · Thai

First setup

Ollama

ollama run llama3.2:3b

LM Studio: Use bartowski/Llama-3.2-3B-Instruct-GGUF and select Q4_K_M or Q5_K_M.

llama.cpp

llama-server -hf bartowski/Llama-3.2-3B-Instruct-GGUF:Q4_K_M

Conditions that change the answer

  • Memory needs include the model file, the app, and conversation memory. Longer conversations and other open apps need more space.

Read the controlling license text →