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URL: https://willitrunai.com/can-run/granite-code-8b-on-arc-a550m-8gb

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Can Granite Code 8B run on Intel Arc A550M 8GB?

YES — With Offload

B63Good
○Estimated from fit model

Granite Code 8B needs ~8.5 GB VRAM. Intel Arc A550M 8GB has 8.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~15 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: OffloadBandwidth: Very lowStack: StandardBottleneck: Host offload
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Operating mode

Choose the run profile you care about

Interactive favors responsiveness, while light API and scale-out lean harder on serving readiness. The fit stays the same, but the recommendation lens changes.

Current mode

Balanced

Balanced for general local use. Keeps the ranking neutral across personal and serving workflows.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 8.5 GB, 15.8 tok/s, Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)
8.5 GB required8.0 GB available
106% VRAM needed

0.5 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Runs with offload (needs ~0.3 GB host RAM)

Decode

15.8 tok/s

TTFT

12229 ms

Safe context

8K

Memory

8.5 GB / 8.0 GB

Offload

10%

Memory breakdown

Weights4.9 GB
KV Cache2.0 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom0.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGranite Code 8B on Intel Arc A550M 8GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Write a Python function to sort a list
Here's a Python function that sorts a list using quicksort: def quicksort(arr): if len(arr) <= 1: return arr pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2] left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot] middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot] right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot] return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right) # Example usage numbers = [3, 6, 8, 10, 1, 2, 1] print(quicksort(numbers)) # [1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10] The algorithm picks a pivot, partitions the list into smaller, equal, and larger elements, then recursively sorts each partition and concatenates the results.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>Now add type hints and a docstring
def quicksort(arr: list[int]) -> list[int]: """Sort a list using the quicksort algorithm. Args: arr: List of integers to sort. Returns: A new sorted list. """ if len(arr) <= 1: return arr pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2] left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot] middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot] right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot] return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right) Added type hints for the input and return type, plus a Google-style docstring.
Estimated: 15.8 tok/s decode · 12.2s TTFT (warm) · 40 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

It fits through host-memory offload, and offload is the main reason performance drops.

CPU or host-memory offload is active

About 10% of the working set spills out of accelerator memory, which usually hurts latency and sustained decode throughput.

Very little memory headroom

You can run the model, but there is not much room left for longer context, bigger batches, extra apps, or future model updates.

Runtime ecosystem is narrower than CUDA

Intel GPUs can look attractive on memory per dollar, but local AI tooling, kernels, and model coverage are still broader and easier on CUDA today.

Best improvement path

Remove offload with more accelerator memory

Prioritize a GPU or unified-memory tier that fits the whole model natively. Removing offload usually helps more than small compute gains.

Prefer CUDA if you want the path of least resistance

If your goal is maximum runtime coverage, easier troubleshooting, and better support for new local AI releases, CUDA is usually still the safer upgrade path.

Buy headroom, not only minimum fit

A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.

Performance by workload

WorkloadGradeFitDecodeTTFTContext
ChatATight fit22.5 tok/s4695 ms8K
CodingBRuns with offload14.7 tok/s13146 ms8K
Agentic CodingFToo heavy9.5 tok/s29509 ms8K
ReasoningBRuns with offload14.7 tok/s15536 ms8K
RAGFToo heavy9.5 tok/s36886 ms8K

Quantization options

How Granite Code 8B (8B params) fits at each quantization level on Intel Arc A550M 8GB (8.0 GB usable).

QuantBitsVRAMQualityFit
Q2_K
2
3.1 GB
LowA79
Q3_K_S
3
3.9 GB
LowA78
NVFP4
4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Granite Code 8B on your machine.

Run

ollama run granite-code:8b

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Granite Code 8B well

👁 Intel
Intel Arc B570 10GBBudget pick
10 GB VRAM (+2)380 GB/s (+156)
A
Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.45.2 tok/s decode

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

Raises estimated decode speed by about 186%.

~$219 MSRP

👁 Intel
Intel Arc B580 12GBBest value
12 GB VRAM (+4)456 GB/s (+232)
A
Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.48.2 tok/s decode

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

Raises estimated decode speed by about 205%.

~$249 MSRP

👁 Intel
Intel Arc A770 16GBIntel upgrade
16 GB VRAM (+8)560 GB/s (+336)
A
Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.55.5 tok/s decode

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

Raises estimated decode speed by about 251%.

~$349 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

See all results for Intel Arc A550M 8GBSee all hardware for Granite Code 8B
4.5 GB
Medium
A78
Q4_K_MBest for your GPU
4
4.9 GB
MediumA78
Q5_K_M
5
5.8 GB
HighF0
Q6_K
6
6.6 GB
HighF0
Q8_0
8
8.6 GB
Very HighF0
F16
16
16.4 GB
MaximumF0

Remove offload with more accelerator memory. Prioritize a GPU or unified-memory tier that fits the whole model natively. Removing offload usually helps more than small compute gains.