Parameter count sets the storage floor.
Raw weight memory is parameters multiplied by bits per weight. Format overhead accounts for scales, metadata and higher-precision tensors; the exact artifact can still differ.
GiB = parameters × bits ÷ 8 ÷ 2³⁰Model weight
memory calculator.
Estimate the memory floor for a custom checkpoint before its full architecture metadata is available.
Recommended weight-loading floor10.6 GiBIncludes packing overhead, runtime workspace and 15% operating headroom
- Raw weights
- 6.05 GiB
- Packed estimate
- 7.02 GiB
- Runtime workspace
- 2.00 GiB
This calculator intentionally excludes KV cache because parameter count alone does not reveal layer count, KV heads or head dimension. Add the architecture-specific cache separately.
Parameters cannot predict serving cache.
Two models with the same parameter count can have different layer counts, KV heads and head dimensions. Supplying a fake cache estimate would make the result look more complete and less trustworthy.
Use an architecture-aware cache estimate →Replace the generic estimate when the model is known.
Select a verified model in the full worksheet to add context, concurrency, cache precision and multi-GPU sharding.
Open the full VRAM calculator →