How much VRAM does Nemotron 70B need?

Nemotron 70B (70B parameters) requires approximately 69.9 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Nemotron 70B?

The recommended quantization for Nemotron 70B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

Can it run?

Yes, MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB can run Nemotron 70B with a C grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 6.1 tok/s.

CUsable

Runs well

Using Q4_K_M in vLLM

Capabilities:

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

6.1 tok/s

TTFT

31795 ms

Safe context

21K

Memory

69.9 GB / 92.2 GB

Weights42.7 GB

KV Cache10.9 GB

Runtime2.4 GB

Headroom13.8 GB

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Agentic Coding	C	Tight fit	6.1 tok/s	46247 ms	36K
Chat	C	Runs well	6.1 tok/s	17343 ms	11K
Coding	C	Runs well	6.1 tok/s	31795 ms	21K
RAG	C	Tight fit	6.1 tok/s	57809 ms	36K
Reasoning	C	Runs well	6.1 tok/s	37576 ms	21K

How Nemotron 70B (70B params) fits at each quantization level on MacBook Pro M3 Max 128GB (92.2 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	27.3 GB	Low	D36
Q3_K_S	3	34.3 GB	Low	D37
NVFP4	4

Ollama

ollama run nemotron-70b

HuggingFace

huggingface-cli download nemotron-70b

Upgrade options

AMD Instinct MI350X 288GBBudget pick

C136.8 tok/s decode

~$8,000 MSRP

AMD Instinct MI250X 128GBBest value

C58.5 tok/s decode

~$15,000 MSRP

NVIDIA GH200 96GBBiggest leap