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Whisper Large V3

40 consumer GPUs can run Whisper Large V3 at Q4 natively. Precise VRAM thresholds and benchmarks below.

40 Compatible GPUs
1.55B params
Javier Morales
Javier Morales AI Hardware Specialist — 8 years experience
GitHub: github.com/javier-morales-ia

llama.cpp 0.2.x · CUDA 12 · ROCm 6 · Updated monthly · methodology →

Execution Context

ARCHITECTURE TRANSFORMER
QUANTIZATION 4-BIT GGUF
PROVIDER OpenAI
LICENSE MIT
VRAM REQUIREMENT
1.5 GB
4GB 8GB 12GB 16GB 24GB+
Hardware Decision

This model requires a Entry GPU (8 GB VRAM)

Minimum

GTX 1660 Super

Runs at Q4 — functional, some wait

6 GB VRAM
View compatible setup
Balanced

RTX 4060 Ti 16GB

Best value for daily use

16 GB VRAM
View compatible setup
Optimal

RTX 5090

Full quality, fastest inference

32 GB VRAM
View compatible setup

*Prices and availability may change. Some links are affiliate links.

System Requirements

GPU VRAM 1.5 GB Entry GPU
System RAM 16 GB DDR4/DDR5
Storage 0.9 GB Q4 · SSD recommended
CPU Any modern CPU GPU required

VRAM by Quantization

Quantization VRAM needed Disk space Quality
FP16 (max quality) 4 GB 3.1 GB Maximum
Q8 (high quality) 2.5 GB 1.6 GB Near-lossless
Q4 (recommended) Best balance 1.5 GB 0.9 GB Recommended
Q2 (minimum) 1 GB 0.5 GB Quality loss

Model Details

Developer OpenAI
Parameters 1.55B
License MIT
Use cases voice
Released 2023-11

Hugging Face

openai/whisper-large-v3
View on HF →
Technical Requirements

Can your GPU run Whisper Large V3?

Whisper Large V3 requires 1.5 GB VRAM at Q4. 40 consumer GPUs meet this threshold. Below 8 GB or -0.5 GB you'll hit significant offload latency.

1GB Critical min
1.5GB Optimal Q4
2.5GB High Quality Q8
4GB Max FP16

Hardware Performance Matrix

40 Q4 native · 0 offload · 0 unsupported

GPU Unit VRAM Compatibility Est. Speed Action
RTX 5090 32GB Optimal 345 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 4090 24GB Optimal 345 tok/s Calculate →
M4 Ultra 128GB Optimal 345 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 5080 16GB Optimal 345 tok/s Calculate →
M3 Ultra 192GB Optimal 336 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 4080 Super 16GB Optimal 322 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 5070 Ti 16GB Optimal 342 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 3090 24GB Optimal 344 tok/s Calculate →
M4 Max 48GB 48GB Optimal 240 tok/s Calculate →
RX 7900 XTX 24GB Optimal 345 tok/s Calculate →
M4 Max 36GB 36GB Optimal 240 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB Optimal 295 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 3080 Ti 12GB Optimal 340 tok/s Calculate →
RX 7900 XT 20GB Optimal 336 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 5070 12GB Optimal 295 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 3080 10GB Optimal 333 tok/s Calculate →
M4 Pro 24GB Optimal 119 tok/s Calculate →
RX 7800 XT 16GB Optimal 274 tok/s Calculate →
RX 6800 XT 16GB Optimal 225 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 4070 12GB Optimal 221 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 4060 Ti 16GB 16GB Optimal 126 tok/s Calculate →
RX 7700 XT 12GB Optimal 190 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 3070 Ti 8GB Optimal 267 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 4060 Ti 8GB Optimal 126 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 3070 8GB Optimal 196 tok/s Calculate →
RX 6700 XT 12GB Optimal 169 tok/s Calculate →
M3 Pro 18GB Optimal 66 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 3060 Ti 8GB Optimal 197 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 2080 Ti 11GB Optimal 197 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 3060 12GB Optimal 158 tok/s Calculate →
M2 Pro 16GB Optimal 88 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 4060 8GB Optimal 119 tok/s Calculate →
Arc A770 16GB 16GB Optimal 98 tok/s Calculate →
M1 Pro 16GB Optimal 88 tok/s Calculate →
RX 7600 8GB Optimal 127 tok/s Calculate →
RX 6600 XT 8GB Optimal 119 tok/s Calculate →
Arc A750 8GB 8GB Optimal 89 tok/s Calculate →
RX 6600 8GB Optimal 108 tok/s Calculate →
RTX 3050 8GB 8GB Optimal 98 tok/s Calculate →
GTX 1660 Super 6GB Optimal 147 tok/s Calculate →

Recommended GPUs for Whisper Large V3

Benchmarks Reales
Sin Reviews Pagadas
Seleccion Editorial
Basado en Datos

Best picks by compatibility, VRAM headroom, and value — prices and availability may change.

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Whisper Large V3 — Compatibility guide

A lightweight model like Whisper Large V3 runs well on consumer hardware from 6 GB VRAM. Ideal for daily use with Ollama or LM Studio. Use the VRAM calculator to check your setup.

Compare GPUs for Whisper Large V3

Which GPU is worth it? Real specs and benchmarks side by side.

Compatible Hardware

GPUs that run Whisper Large V3 at Q4 — sorted by AI performance score.

Benchmarks Reales
Sin Reviews Pagadas
Basado en Datos
RTX 5090
RTX 5090

NVIDIA · 32 GB VRAM

Q4 OK
345 tok/s > $1000
RTX 4090
RTX 4090

NVIDIA · 24 GB VRAM

Q4 OK
345 tok/s > $1000
M4 Ultra

Apple · 128 GB VRAM

Q4 OK
345 tok/s > $1000
RTX 5080
RTX 5080

NVIDIA · 16 GB VRAM

Q4 OK
345 tok/s $600–1000
M3 Ultra

Apple · 192 GB VRAM

Q4 OK
336 tok/s > $1000
RTX 4080 Super
RTX 4080 Super

NVIDIA · 16 GB VRAM

Q4 OK
322 tok/s $600–1000

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More Practical Alternatives

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Not sure which GPU you need for Whisper Large V3?

The VRAM Calculator tells you exactly which quantization your hardware can handle.