Skip to main content
Local LLM Guide

Model

Phi-4 14B Instruct

Start with a supported compressed build and short context. 32GB RAM estimate. Best use: local reasoning and logic

14BText chat

Best use

local reasoning and logic · math-heavy prompts

Memory planning

32GB RAM estimate

Expected pace

Depends on your hardware, app, and conversation length

License

MIT; read the model’s terms before use

Who should use this model?

  • local reasoning and logic
  • math-heavy prompts
  • general chat
  • medium-size workstation inference

Choose something else when

  • 8GB RAM or 8GB VRAM is the hard ceiling
  • multimodal input is required
  • non-English production use is required

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
Memory or response time may limit use. Try a smaller model first.
8GB system memory
Use a smaller model for this memory limit.
16GB system memory
Memory or response time may limit use. Try a smaller model first.
32GB system memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
8GB GPU memory
Use a smaller model for this memory limit.
12GB GPU memory
Memory or response time may limit use. Try a smaller model first.
24GB GPU memory
A possible starting point with a compressed model and short conversation; check the exact file size.
Apple unified memory
Memory or response time may limit use. Try a smaller model first.

Model facts that change the decision

Parameters
14B
Input
Text
Published context limit
16,384 tokens
Model format
safetensors · GGUF · Ollama · Transformers
Suggested compression
Q4_K_M for default local use; Q5_K_M when 16GB+ RAM or 12GB+ VRAM is available.
Typical Q4 file
9.05GB before runtime and context overhead
Languages
English

First setup

Ollama

ollama run phi4

LM Studio: Search for bartowski/phi-4-GGUF and select Q4_K_M or Q5_K_M based on memory.

llama.cpp

Use hf.co/bartowski/phi-4-GGUF:Q4_K_M for a balanced local configuration.

Conditions that change the answer

  • Phi-4 is strong at reasoning but this is not the separate Phi-4-Reasoning model
  • The model card states that Phi-4 is primarily English and not intended for multilingual use.
  • GGUF files are community conversions, not official Microsoft GGUF releases.
  • Allow memory for the model file, the app, and your conversation.

Read the controlling license text →