Question 1

How much VRAM does Llama-Guard-4-12B need?

Accepted Answer

Llama-Guard-4-12B (12B) requires approximately 26.82454261779785 GB of VRAM at full precision (FP16), 13.4 GB at 8-bit quantization (Q8), and 6.7 GB at 4-bit quantization (Q4). The actual VRAM usage may be slightly higher due to KV cache and runtime overhead.

Question 2

What GPUs can run Llama-Guard-4-12B?

Accepted Answer

We have 10 compatible GPUs indexed for Llama-Guard-4-12B, including A40, L40S, L40, A100 40GB, RTX A6000 and 5 more. Compatibility is determined by whether the GPU's VRAM can fit the model's memory footprint, potentially using quantization to reduce memory usage.

Question 3

What is the cheapest GPU to run Llama-Guard-4-12B?

Accepted Answer

The cheapest GPU to run Llama-Guard-4-12B in the cloud is the A40 at $0.44/hr. Other affordable options include L40S ($0.60/hr) and L40 ($0.82/hr). Prices reflect the lowest on-demand rate across cloud providers.

Question 4

Can Llama-Guard-4-12B run on consumer hardware?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Llama-Guard-4-12B can run on consumer GPUs like the RTX A6000 (48 GB VRAM) at full precision (FP16).

Question 5

What quantization options are available for Llama-Guard-4-12B?

Accepted Answer

Llama-Guard-4-12B supports the following quantization levels: FP16 (full precision): ~26.82454261779785 GB, Q8 (8-bit): ~13.4 GB, Q6 (6-bit): ~10.1 GB, Q4 (4-bit): ~6.7 GB. Lower quantization reduces VRAM usage at the cost of some quality loss. Q8 offers a good balance between quality and memory savings, while Q4 provides maximum compression.

GPU	VRAM	Best Quant	From	Rent
A40	48 GB	FP16	$0.44/hr	Rent
L40S	48 GB	FP16	$0.60/hr	Rent
L40	48 GB	FP16	$0.82/hr	Rent
A100 40GB	40 GB	FP16	$0.93/hr	Rent
RTX A6000	48 GB	FP16	$1.09/hr
A100 80GB PCIe	80 GB	FP16	$1.39/hr	Rent
A100 80GB	80 GB	FP16	$1.39/hr	Rent
H100 MEGA	80 GB	FP16	$1.80/hr	Rent
H100 SXM	80 GB	FP16	$1.80/hr	Rent
H100 NVL	94 GB	FP16	$1.80/hr	Rent

Llama-Guard-4-12B

VRAM Requirements

Compatible GPUs

Llama-Guard-4-12B FAQ

VRAM requirements for Llama-Guard-4-12B at different quantization levels
Quantization	VRAM Required
FP16	26.8 GB
Q8	13.4 GB
Q6	10.1 GB
Q4	6.7 GB