Phi-4 14B VRAM requirements: can you run it locally?

Phi-4 is Microsoft's 14B dense model (December 2024). Hugging Face lists 14,659,507,200 parameters for microsoft/phi-4, the repo was created on 2024-12-11, and the license is MIT.^[1] The card gives a 16K-token context length (16,384 in config.json).^[2] Hugging Face counts about 327,031 downloads in the last 30 days (checked November 3, 2026).^[1]

Memory needed at each quantization

Quantization stores each weight in fewer bits. Smaller files fit on smaller GPUs, at some cost in quality, and the cost grows below about 4 bits. Below is every GGUF build we could source, using the exact file sizes on Hugging Face (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes; split files added together), largest first.^[3] Sizes are from bartowski/phi-4-GGUF (the 58.6 GB F32 file is left out).

Which quant should you pick? Q4_K_M is the usual balance of size and quality. Use Q5_K_M or Q6_K if you have the memory, and Q8_0 if you want results close to the original. Treat 2-bit and 3-bit builds as a last resort.

Context length adds memory (the KV cache)

On top of the weights, the engine keeps a key/value cache for every token. From config.json (40 layers, 10 KV heads, head size 5,120 / 40 = 128),^[2] an FP16 cache takes 2 × 40 × 10 × 128 × 2 bytes = 204,800 bytes per token. Phi-4's context tops out at 16K, so the cache never gets large.

Some engines can store the cache in 8-bit to roughly halve it.

Which GPUs and Macs it fits on

Pick your GPU or Mac and a context length to see which quantizations fit. The weights plus the KV cache are compared with the device's memory.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

How to read it: "Fits" means weights + cache use under 90% of memory. "Tight" means 90–100%: it may load, but the engine's own working memory or a longer context can push it over. "No" means it won't fit on the GPU alone. The 90% line is our own rule of thumb, not a vendor figure. On a Mac, macOS also needs some of the unified memory, so treat Mac rows as optimistic.

Our recommendations

These follow from the file sizes and the 90% rule, at an 8K context.^[3]

How to run it

With llama.cpp, LM Studio or Ollama, download a GGUF file from the quant list above (for example the Q4_K_M build) from bartowski/phi-4-GGUF.^[3] If the model is bigger than your VRAM, these tools can keep some layers in system RAM, but every token then waits on the slower memory, so expect much lower speed.

Cheapest GPU to rent for Phi-4 14B

On-demand prices listed on Runpod's pricing page for cards that hold Q4_K_M with an 8K context (checked November 2, 2026; Community Cloud is cheaper but runs on shared hosts):^[12]

See all GPU rental prices for Lambda, Vast.ai and multi-GPU setups, or compare it with other models in the VRAM table.^[13]

Frequently asked questions

How much VRAM does Phi-4 14B need at 4-bit?

About 10.7 GB for the Q4_K_M weights (9.1 GB) plus an 8K-token FP16 KV cache (1.68 GB), before engine overhead.^[3][2]

What is the smallest GPU that runs Phi-4 14B?

In our list, a 12 GB card (RTX 3060) holds Q4_K_M with an 8K context under our 90% rule. Smaller cards need a lower-bit quant from the table above.^[3]

How much does the full 16K context add?

At FP16 the KV cache for 16,384 tokens is about 3.36 GB.^[2]

How we calculated

• Weights are the exact GGUF file sizes on Hugging Face, checked November 3, 2026.^[3]
• KV cache is calculated from config.json. We assume an FP16 cache.^[2]
• Device memory is from NVIDIA and Apple spec pages. We compare in decimal GB, so the results lean conservative.
• Rental prices are the listed on-demand Runpod rates, checked November 2, 2026.^[12]
• Not included: engine working buffers, the vision/audio projector, the OS and display. These vary by engine and settings, so leave headroom.

Sources

All sources checked on 2026-11-03.

1. Hugging Face, microsoft/phi-4 (parameter count, license, repo date, 30-day downloads; checked November 3, 2026). https://huggingface.co/microsoft/phi-4
2. Hugging Face, microsoft/phi-4 config.json (layers, KV heads, head size, context). https://huggingface.co/microsoft/phi-4/blob/main/config.json
3. Hugging Face, bartowski/phi-4-GGUF file list (exact GGUF sizes; checked November 3, 2026). https://huggingface.co/bartowski/phi-4-GGUF/tree/main
4. NVIDIA, GeForce RTX 4060 family (8 GB / 16 GB) https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/40-series/rtx-4060-4060ti/
5. NVIDIA, GeForce RTX 3060 family (12 GB) https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/30-series/rtx-3060-3060ti/
6. NVIDIA, GeForce RTX 3090 specs (24 GB) https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/30-series/rtx-3090-3090ti/
7. NVIDIA, GeForce RTX 4090 specs (24 GB) https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/40-series/rtx-4090/
8. NVIDIA, GeForce RTX 5090 specs (32 GB) https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/50-series/rtx-5090/
9. NVIDIA, RTX 6000 Ada Generation (48 GB) https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/products/workstations/rtx-6000/
10. NVIDIA, A100 (80 GB) https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/a100/
11. Apple, MacBook Pro tech specs (unified memory options) https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/
12. Runpod, GPU pricing (checked November 2, 2026). https://www.runpod.io/pricing
13. VRAMNeeded comparison table (sources listed per model). https://vramneeded.com/compare/