Can the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB (used) run Phi-4 mini Instruct?
Fits comfortably at Q4_K_M.
Phi-4 mini Instruct is 3.84B parameters. At Q4_K_M the weights are about 2.1 GiB; with the 1.5 GiB runtime reserve that is 3.6 GiB against the card's 12GB, leaving about 8.4 GiB for context.
All three quants
12GB card| Quant | Weights | With reserve | Verdict | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4_K_Mthe everyday quant | 2.1 GiB | 3.6 GiB | Fits comfortably | 8.4 GiB |
| Q8_0near-lossless | 3.8 GiB | 5.3 GiB | Fits comfortably | 6.7 GiB |
| FP16full weights | 7.2 GiB | 8.7 GiB | Fits comfortably | 3.3 GiB |
Verdict rules: fits comfortably when weights plus reserve sit within 85% of VRAM; tight when they fit with little left for context; CPU offload when they exceed VRAM by up to 2x (runs, slowly, with layers in system RAM); no beyond that. The KV cache per token depends on the model's architecture and is not modelled here.
Good match. Get the card.
The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB (used) clears Phi-4 mini Instruct at Q4_K_M and at Q8_0. Live listings below; this page was rebuilt 2026-08-23.
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About the model
Phi-4 mini Instruct by Microsoft: 131,072-token native context, text, released 2025 under the MIT. Model card →