Question 1

How much VRAM does Smaug-2-72B need?

Accepted Answer

Smaug-2-72B (72.3B) requires approximately 161.57609252929686 GB of VRAM at full precision (FP16), 80.8 GB at 8-bit quantization (Q8), and 40.4 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 Smaug-2-72B?

Accepted Answer

We have 5 compatible GPUs indexed for Smaug-2-72B, including MI300X, B200, B100, MI325X, MI350X. 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 Smaug-2-72B?

Accepted Answer

The cheapest GPU to run Smaug-2-72B in the cloud is the MI300X at $1.99/hr. Other affordable options include B200 ($5.49/hr). Prices reflect the lowest on-demand rate across cloud providers.

Question 4

Can Smaug-2-72B run on consumer hardware?

Accepted Answer

Smaug-2-72B requires approximately 161.57609252929686 GB of VRAM at FP16, and even with 4-bit quantization (Q4) it needs about 40.4 GB. This exceeds the 24 GB available on the highest-end consumer GPU (RTX 4090), so Smaug-2-72B requires datacenter or cloud GPUs.

Question 5

What quantization options are available for Smaug-2-72B?

Accepted Answer

Smaug-2-72B supports the following quantization levels: FP16 (full precision): ~161.57609252929686 GB, Q8 (8-bit): ~80.8 GB, Q6 (6-bit): ~60.6 GB, Q4 (4-bit): ~40.4 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.

Smaug-2-72B

VRAM Requirements

Compatible GPUs

Smaug-2-72B FAQ

GPU	VRAM	Best Quant	From	Rent
MI300X	192 GB	FP16	$1.99/hr	Rent
B200	192 GB	FP16	$5.49/hr	Rent
B100	192 GB	FP16	—
MI325X	256 GB	FP16	—
MI350X	288 GB	FP16	—

VRAM requirements for Smaug-2-72B at different quantization levels
Quantization	VRAM Required
FP16	161.6 GB
Q8	80.8 GB
Q6	60.6 GB
Q4	40.4 GB