Granite 4.2 30B hardware requirements
About the model
- Parameters
- 29.28B
- Attention
- Full attention
- Max context
- 131,072 tokens
- Released
- 2026-08-07
- Model card
- Granite 4.2 30B on Hugging Face
GGUF files
| Quant | File size | Quality | Published by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 10.86 GB | Heavy loss | Official GGUF · ibm-granite |
| Q4_K_Mbaseline | 17.72 GB | Good balance | Official GGUF · ibm-granite |
| Q8_0 | 31.11 GB | Near-lossless | Official GGUF · ibm-granite |
Memory needed by quant and context
| Quant | 4k | 8k | 16k | 32k | 64k | 128k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 12.5 | 13.6 | 15.8 | 20.2 | 29.1 | 46.9 |
| Q4_K_M | 19.3 | 20.4 | 22.7 | 27.1 | 36.0 | 53.8 |
| Q8_0 | 32.7 | 33.8 | 36.1 | 40.5 | 49.4 | 67.2 |
Which GPUs can run Granite 4.2 30B?
How to read the verdicts
- Runs great
- Fully on the GPU at 20 tok/s or more
- Runs well
- Fully on the GPU at 8–20 tok/s; MoE experts in system RAM at 20 tok/s or more; or at least 90% on the GPU at 8 tok/s or more
- Runs slowly
- 2–8 tok/s; CPU-only; less than 90% on the GPU; or MoE experts in system RAM below 20 tok/s
- Won't run
- Does not fit, or under 2 tok/s
Dense models split between GPU and CPU slow down sharply — the CPU side sets the pace. MoE models that keep only their experts in system RAM degrade far more gently.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
| Hardware | Verdict | Speed | Quant | Memory | Runs as | Context | Notes | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5090 | Runs great | est. 63.1 tok/s55.6–70.7calibrated estimate ±12% | Q4_K_M | 21.0 / 32.0 GB | Full GPU | up to 32k | — | $4,200 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | Runs great | est. 37.7 tok/s33.2–42.2calibrated estimate ±12% | Q4_K_M | 21.0 / 24.0 GB | Full GPU | up to 16k | — | $999 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | Runs great | est. 35.5 tok/s31.3–39.8calibrated estimate ±12% | Q4_K_M | 21.0 / 24.0 GB | Full GPU | up to 16k | — | $1,999 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 4090 | Runs great | est. 35.5 tok/s31.3–39.8calibrated estimate ±12% | Q4_K_M | 21.0 / 24.0 GB | Full GPU | up to 16k | — | $2,755 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | Runs great | est. 33.0 tok/s29.0–36.9calibrated estimate ±12% | Q4_K_M | 21.0 / 24.0 GB | Full GPU | up to 16k | — | $1,050 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Runs great | est. 31.6 tok/s27.8–35.4calibrated estimate ±12% | Q4_K_M | 21.0 / 24.0 GB | Full GPU | up to 16k | — | — |
| Apple M5 Max (40-core GPU) · 48 GB | Runs well | est. 18.5 tok/s14.8–22.3calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 33.6 GB | Unified memory | up to 32k |
| — |
| Apple M3 Ultra · 96 GB | Runs well | est. 18.1 tok/s14.5–21.8calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 67.2 GB | Unified memory | up to 64k |
| — |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | Runs well | est. 17.8 tok/s14.3–21.4calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.0 / 20.0 GB + 1.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 8k |
| $899 launch MSRP |
| Apple M2 Ultra · 64 GB | Runs well | est. 17.7 tok/s14.2–21.3calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 44.8 GB | Unified memory | up to 64k |
| — |
| Apple M4 Max (40-core GPU) · 48 GB | Runs well | est. 16.5 tok/s13.2–19.8calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 33.6 GB | Unified memory | up to 32k |
| — |
| Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU) · 36 GB | Runs well | est. 13.9 tok/s11.1–16.7calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 25.2 GB | Unified memory | up to 16k |
| — |
| Apple M4 Max (32-core GPU) · 36 GB | Runs well | est. 12.4 tok/s9.9–14.9calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 25.2 GB | Unified memory | up to 16k | — | — |
| Apple M5 Pro · 48 GB | Runs well | est. 9.3 tok/s7.4–11.1calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 33.6 GB | Unified memory | up to 16k | — | — |
| Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (Strix Halo) · 32 GB | Runs well | est. 8.4 tok/s6.7–10.1calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 22.4 GB | Unified memory | up to 8k | — | $1,999 launch MSRP |
| Apple M4 Pro · 48 GB | Runs well | est. 8.2 tok/s6.6–9.9calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 33.6 GB | Unified memory | up to 8k | — | — |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | Runs slowly | est. 6.8 tok/s5.4–8.1calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $1,256 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | Runs slowly | est. 6.7 tok/s5.4–8.1calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $949 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | Runs slowly | est. 6.7 tok/s5.4–8.1calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| — |
| GeForce RTX 4080 Super | Runs slowly | est. 6.5 tok/s5.2–7.8calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $999 launch MSRP |
| Radeon RX 9070 | Runs slowly | est. 6.5 tok/s5.2–7.8calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $639 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | Runs slowly | est. 6.5 tok/s5.2–7.8calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $689 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 4080 | Runs slowly | est. 6.5 tok/s5.2–7.8calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $1,199 launch MSRP |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | Runs slowly | est. 6.4 tok/s5.1–7.7calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $499 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super | Runs slowly | est. 6.4 tok/s5.1–7.7calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $799 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop | Runs slowly | est. 6.2 tok/s5.0–7.4calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| — |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | Runs slowly | est. 5.8 tok/s4.7–7.0calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $569 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| NVIDIA DGX Spark · 128 GB | Runs slowly | est. 5.5 tok/s4.4–6.6calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 20.4 / 89.6 GB | Unified memory | up to 128k |
| $3,999 launch MSRP |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB | Runs slowly | est. 5.5 tok/s4.4–6.6calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $449 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB | Runs slowly | est. 5.1 tok/s4.1–6.1calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 16.0 / 16.0 GB + 5.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 32k |
| $499 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Runs slowly | est. 4.1 tok/s3.3–5.0calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 12.0 / 12.0 GB + 9.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $799 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | Runs slowly | est. 4.0 tok/s3.2–4.9calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 12.0 / 12.0 GB + 9.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $629 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Runs slowly | est. 4.0 tok/s3.2–4.9calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 12.0 / 12.0 GB + 9.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | — |
| GeForce RTX 4070 | Runs slowly | est. 3.9 tok/s3.2–4.7calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 12.0 / 12.0 GB + 9.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $599 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Super | Runs slowly | est. 3.9 tok/s3.2–4.7calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 12.0 / 12.0 GB + 9.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $599 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop | Runs slowly | est. 3.9 tok/s3.1–4.6calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 12.0 / 12.0 GB + 9.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | — |
| Intel Arc B580 | Runs slowly | est. 3.8 tok/s3.0–4.6calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 12.0 / 12.0 GB + 9.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $290 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | Runs slowly | est. 3.8 tok/s3.0–4.5calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 12.0 / 12.0 GB + 9.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $250 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | Runs slowly | est. 3.7 tok/s2.9–4.4calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 11.0 / 11.0 GB + 10.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $999 launch MSRP |
| GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | Runs slowly | est. 3.6 tok/s2.5–4.7theoretical estimate ±30% | Q4_K_M | 11.0 / 11.0 GB + 10.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $699 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 3080 10GB | Runs slowly | est. 3.4 tok/s2.8–4.1calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 10.0 / 10.0 GB + 11.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $699 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 3070 | Runs slowly | est. 2.9 tok/s2.3–3.5calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 8.0 / 8.0 GB + 13.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $499 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | Runs slowly | est. 2.9 tok/s2.3–3.5calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 8.0 / 8.0 GB + 13.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $339 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB | Runs slowly | est. 2.9 tok/s2.3–3.5calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 8.0 / 8.0 GB + 13.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $429 street (as of 2026-08-09) |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB | Runs slowly | est. 2.8 tok/s2.3–3.4calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 8.0 / 8.0 GB + 13.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $399 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 4060 | Runs slowly | est. 2.8 tok/s2.3–3.4calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 8.0 / 8.0 GB + 13.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $299 launch MSRP |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop | Runs slowly | est. 2.8 tok/s2.2–3.4calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 8.0 / 8.0 GB + 13.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | — |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop | Runs slowly | est. 2.8 tok/s2.2–3.4calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 8.0 / 8.0 GB + 13.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | — |
| GeForce RTX 3050 8GB | Runs slowly | est. 2.8 tok/s2.2–3.3calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 8.0 / 8.0 GB + 13.0 GB RAM | Partial offload | up to 16k | — | $249 launch MSRP |
| Apple M5 · 24 GB | Runs slowly | est. 2.7 tok/s1.9–3.5theoretical estimate ±30% | Q4_K_M | 19.9 GB RAM | CPU only | up to 8k | — | — |
| DDR5-6000 dual-channel CPU · 32 GB | Runs slowly | est. 2.4 tok/s1.9–2.9calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 19.9 GB RAM | CPU only | up to 16k | — | — |
| DDR5-5600 dual-channel CPU · 32 GB | Runs slowly | est. 2.3 tok/s1.8–2.7calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 19.9 GB RAM | CPU only | up to 16k | — | — |
| Apple M4 · 24 GB | Runs slowly | est. 2.1 tok/s1.5–2.7theoretical estimate ±30% | Q4_K_M | 19.9 GB RAM | CPU only | up to 8k | — | — |
| DDR4-3200 dual-channel CPU · 64 GB | Won't run | est. 1.3 tok/s1.0–1.5calibrated estimate ±20% | Q4_K_M | 19.9 GB RAM | CPU only | — |
| — |
Cheapest GPUs that run it
- Runs greatGeForce RTX 3090$1,050 street (as of 2026-08-09), est. 33.0 tok/s (29.0–36.9, calibrated estimate ±12%).
Measured results for Granite 4.2 30B
No public measurements for this model yet.
Frequently asked questions
How much VRAM does Granite 4.2 30B need?
At Q4_K_M the weights are 17.72 GB; with 8k context the total is about 20.4 GB (KV cache 2.1 GB, compute buffer 0.6 GB). The smallest tracked file (Q2_K (heavy quality loss)) needs about 13.6 GB.
What is the cheapest GPU that runs Granite 4.2 30B well?
Cheapest that runs it great: GeForce RTX 3090 at $1,050 (street price as of 2026-08-09), est. 33.0 tok/s (29.0–36.9, calibrated estimate ±12%).
Can Granite 4.2 30B run on an 8 GB, 16 GB or 24 GB GPU?
At Q4_K_M with 8k context: GeForce RTX 4060 — Runs slowly, est. 2.8 tok/s (2.3–3.4, calibrated estimate ±20%); GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB — Runs slowly, est. 5.8 tok/s (4.7–7.0, calibrated estimate ±20%); GeForce RTX 3090 — Runs great, est. 33.0 tok/s (29.0–36.9, calibrated estimate ±12%).
Speeds are estimates from memory bandwidth, calibrated against public benchmarks, and each one comes with an error band and a confidence label. Real results vary with drivers, backend, context length and thermals.