How much RAM does Step-3.5-Flash-Base need?

Step-3.5-Flash-Base needs about 137 GB of memory at Q4_K_M quantization with 4K context. The download itself is 119 GB; the extra covers the context cache and runtime overhead.

Can I run Step-3.5-Flash-Base on a laptop?

Not on typical consumer hardware. Step-3.5-Flash-Base needs 137 GB, which is beyond a normal laptop or desktop.

Step-3.5-Flash-Base: hardware requirements

Step-3.5-Flash-Base needs about 137 GB of memory at Q4 quantization — a 119 GB download plus room for context and overhead. That is beyond consumer hardware; use it through an API instead.

Parameters

198B

Tier

Server only

Licence

See model card

Released

2026-03-02

Will it run on your machine?

8GB RAMNot enough memory 16GB RAMNot enough memory 24GB RAMNot enough memory 32GB RAMNot enough memory 64GB RAMNot enough memory 128GB RAMNot enough memory 8GB VRAMNot enough memory 12GB VRAMNot enough memory 16GB VRAMNot enough memory 24GB VRAMNot enough memory 32GB VRAMNot enough memory

Download sizes by quantization

Lower quantization means a smaller file and less memory, at some cost to quality. Q4_K_M is the usual starting point. What is this?

Quant	Download	RAM @ 4K	RAM @ 32K	Source
Q4_K_Mrecommended	119 GB	137 GB	137 GB	estimated
Q5_K_M	140 GB	160 GB	160 GB	estimated
Q6_K	162 GB	185 GB	185 GB	estimated
Q8_0	209 GB	238 GB	238 GB	measured
BF16	396 GB	446 GB	446 GB	estimated

“Measured” sizes are read from published GGUF files (avar6/Step-3.5-Flash-Base-gguf). “Estimated” sizes are derived from the parameter count and are typically within a few percent. The RAM columns add the context cache and runtime overhead to the download size.

Model card on HuggingFace →API specs & pricing →Verified 2026-08-10Tracked for 12 months after release