Qwen3-8B-Base
Qwenapache-2.0text

Qwen3-8B-Base

Updated Oct 10, 2026
Parameters
8.2B
Context
32,768
License
apache-2.0
Q4 GGUF
5.03 GB
Updated
Oct 10, 2026

Q4 GGUF download: mradermacher/Co-rewarding-I-Qwen3-8B-Base-MATH-i1-GGUF - 5.03 GB on disk, read 2026-10-10. VRAM figures above are estimates; this is the actual file size.

Intelligence benchmarks

Artificial Analysis indexes - compared with the best open and proprietary models

Intelligence

7.3

AA Index

Coding

9.0

AA Index

Agentic

0.8

AA Index

Intelligence Index - Qwen3-8B-Base vs. the field

Best open-weight models (you can run locally) and leading proprietary models for context.

Claude Opus 5.5
57.6
closed
Claude Sonnet 5.5
56
closed
Claude Fable 5.1
53.4
closed
GPT-6 Astra
52.7
closed
Gemini 4 Argon
52.6
closed
MiMo-V2.6-Pro
46.3
open
GLM-5.3
44.8
open
Qwen3-8B-Base
7.3
open

Coding Index comparison

Claude Fable 5.1
81.6
closed
Gemini 3.8 Flash
76.3
closed
Kimi K3
76.2
open
Qwen3.8 Max
76.2
closed
GLM-5.3
74.8
open
GLM-5.3-Flash
71.5
open
Qwen3.8 27B
68.1
open
Qwen3-8B-Base
9
open

Agentic Index comparison

Claude Fable 5.1
57.9
closed
Qwen3.8 Max
56
closed
Muse Spark 1.3
55.5
closed
GLM-5.3
53.1
open
GPT-6 Astra
51
closed
GLM-5.3-Flash
50.9
open
Kimi K3
50
open
Qwen3-8B-Base
0.8
open

Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis · updated 2026-10-10.

Hosted API cost & speed

What it costs to rent this model instead of running it locally

MetricValue
Input (per 1M tokens)$0.18
Output (per 1M tokens)$2.10
Median speed (hosted API)41 tok/s

Median across hosted providers, measured by Artificial Analysis - updated 2026-10-10. Local llama.cpp speed depends on your hardware — see the hardware pages for estimates.

Will it run on your hardware?

Pick your GPU memory - see which quantizations fit, and the cheapest card for the rest

Runs on your 24 GB - best at FP16
4 of 4 quantizations fit Qwen3-8B-Base with real runtime overhead.
Q4_K_M
5 GB
Q5_K_M
6 GB
Q8_0
9 GB
FP16
16 GB
fits tight too big

Need an exact figure for your context length? Use the VRAM calculator.

Run it locally

Copy-paste - running in under a minute

vLLMOpenAI-compatible API
vllm serve Qwen/Qwen3-8B-Base

New to this? Start with Ollama · serve to many users with vLLM.

Deep dive

Notes, sources, and the full write-up

Qwen3-8B-Base is a 8.2B-parameter apache-2.0 model from Qwen. At Q4_K_M it needs roughly 5 GB of VRAM, placing it in the 8–12 GB GPU hardware tier.

Popularity

Qwen3-8B-Base has 766,099 downloads in the last month on HuggingFace and 138 likes.

Frequently asked

Quick answers to common questions

How much VRAM does Qwen3-8B-Base need?

Qwen3-8B-Base with 8.2B parameters needs approximately 5 GB at Q4_K_M quantization. Use our VRAM calculator for an exact estimate.

Is Qwen3-8B-Base better than other Qwen models?

Qwen3-8B-Base has 8.2B parameters with 32,768 context - a strong choice for general use.

What license is Qwen3-8B-Base under?

Qwen3-8B-Base is released under the apache-2.0 license, making it suitable for most commercial and personal projects.

What hardware runs Qwen3-8B-Base well?

With 8.2B parameters, Qwen3-8B-Base requires adequate VRAM. High-end GPUs like the RTX 4090 (24GB), RTX 5090 (32GB), or Mac Studio with unified memory are good options. Check our hardware directory for specific recommendations.

What is the best quantization for Qwen3-8B-Base?

Q4_K_M is the recommended sweet spot - ~98% of FP16 quality at ~27% of the size. Q5_K_M (~6 GB) is an option if you have spare VRAM. Use our VRAM calculator to compare.

How long can Qwen3-8B-Base's context window handle?

Qwen3-8B-Base supports a 32,768-token context window - enough for most medium-length documents and conversations. Real-world usable context may vary by implementation.

What models compete with Qwen3-8B-Base?

Qwen3-8B-Base competes with other models in its class. Browse our model directory for comparisons, benchmarks, and community reviews to find the best fit.

Nearby options

Similar models and compatible hardware by spec