Can my computer run Phi 3.5 Mini?
Compact Microsoft model good for reasoning and light coding. Phi 3.5 Mini needs about 3.0 GB of memory. It runs comfortably on Macs with 8 GB or more, and on PCs with 8 GB of RAM or more, even without a graphics card.
Phi 3.5 Mini on common computers
Graded with Toskar 1.12.1's own estimate: the model file plus working memory at an 8K context.
| Computer | Fit | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Mac, 8 GB | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| Mac, 16 GB | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| Mac, 24 GB | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| Mac, 32 GB | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| Mac, 48 GB | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| Mac, 64 GB | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| Mac, 128 GB | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| PC, 8 GB, no graphics card | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| PC, 16 GB, no graphics card | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| PC, 32 GB, no graphics card | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. |
| PC, 16 GB + 8 GB graphics card | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. Good GPU fit. |
| PC, 32 GB + 12 GB graphics card | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. Good GPU fit. |
| PC, 32 GB + 16 GB graphics card | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. Good GPU fit. |
| PC, 64 GB + 24 GB graphics card | Excellent fit | Plenty of memory to spare. Good GPU fit. |
About Phi 3.5 Mini
- Memory needed
- ≈ 3.0 GB
- Download size
- 2.2 GB
- Parameters
- 3.8B
- Quantization
- Q4_K_M
- Longest conversation
- 128K tokens
Good at
- Chat and writing
- Coding
- Step-by-step reasoning
- Uses tools, such as web search and your files
Languages it handles well
English
Similar models to compare
- Llama 3.2 3B≈ 2.6 GB
Balanced everyday assistant with long context.
- Qwen 2.5 3B≈ 2.5 GB
Capable mid-size general model with tool calling.
- Gemma 2 2B≈ 2.2 GB
Small Google model for snappy everyday chat.
- Qwen 3.5 4B≈ 3.9 GB
Small and quick everyday assistant that also sees pictures.
Questions
- How much memory does Phi 3.5 Mini need?
- About 3.0 GB with Toskar's default 8K context: the 2.2 GB model file plus room for the conversation. After it has run once, Toskar measures what it really uses on your computer.
- Can Phi 3.5 Mini run on a Mac with 8 GB?
- Yes. Phi 3.5 Mini runs comfortably on a Mac with 8 GB, using about 3.0 GB.
- Can Phi 3.5 Mini run without a graphics card?
- Yes. Phi 3.5 Mini runs comfortably on a PC with 16 GB of RAM and no graphics card, using about 3.0 GB. Without a graphics card it runs on the processor, so it answers more slowly than with one. On a Mac with Apple silicon, the graphics share the Mac's memory, so no separate card is needed.
- Is Phi 3.5 Mini free to use?
- Yes. Toskar Core is free and open source, and it downloads Phi 3.5 Mini for you at no cost. Everything runs on your computer, so there's no per-question bill.
Every model
- Llama 3.2 1B≈ 1.3 GB
- Qwen 2.5 Coder 1.5B≈ 1.6 GB
- DeepSeek R1 Distill 1.5B≈ 1.6 GB
- Gemma 2 2B≈ 2.2 GB
- Qwen 2.5 3B≈ 2.5 GB
- Llama 3.2 3B≈ 2.6 GB
- Phi 3.5 Mini≈ 3.0 GB
- Gemma 3 4B≈ 3.9 GB
- Qwen 3.5 4B≈ 3.9 GB
- Mistral 7B Instruct≈ 5.0 GB
- Qwen 2.5 Coder 7B≈ 5.3 GB
- Qwen 2.5 7B≈ 5.3 GB
- DeepSeek R1 Distill 7B≈ 5.3 GB
- Qwen 2.5 VL 7B≈ 6.1 GB
- Gemma 2 9B≈ 6.5 GB
- Qwen 3.5 9B≈ 7.2 GB
- Qwen 2.5 Coder 14B≈ 9.7 GB
- Qwen 2.5 14B≈ 10.2 GB
- Muse Glimmer 30B≈ 17.1 GB
- Qwen 3.8 27B≈ 20.4 GB
- Qwen 2.5 32B≈ 21.5 GB
Run Phi 3.5 Mini with Toskar
Toskar Core is free and open source for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It checks what your computer can run, downloads the model for you, and keeps every question on your computer.