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URL: https://willitrunai.com/can-run/pixtral-large-124b-on-a100-40gb


Can Pixtral Large 124B run on NVIDIA A100 40GB?

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run
Estimated from fit model

Pixtral Large 124B needs ~85.9 GB but NVIDIA A100 40GB only has 40.0 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: No fitBandwidth: HighStack: StandardBottleneck: Memory capacity
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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) — 85.9 GB, exceeds 40.0 GB available
85.9 GB required40.0 GB available
215% VRAM needed

45.9 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

2.8 tok/s

TTFT

68706 ms

Safe context

4K

Memory

85.9 GB / 40.0 GB

Offload

50%

Memory breakdown

Weights75.6 GB
KV Cache5.4 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom4.0 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower
See how fast it feelsPixtral Large 124B on NVIDIA A100 40GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step. Given information: - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour) - Time = 2.5 hours Formula: Distance = Speed x Time Calculation: Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h = 150 miles The train travels 150 miles. Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time. Breakdown: - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance) - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles Total distance: 150 miles (same) Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 2.8 tok/s decode · 68.7s TTFT (warm) · 7 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable VRAM is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 85.9 GB, but this setup only exposes 40.0 GB of usable VRAM.

Best improvement path

Add more VRAM headroom

The first useful upgrade is more dedicated VRAM so you can fit the model without shrinking context or dropping to a much lower quant.

Performance by workload

WorkloadGradeFitDecodeTTFTContext
ChatFToo heavy2.8 tok/s38120 ms4K
CodingFToo heavy2.6 tok/s74718 ms4K
Agentic CodingFToo heavy2.6 tok/s108713 ms4K
ReasoningFToo heavy2.6 tok/s88303 ms4K
RAGFToo heavy2.6 tok/s135892 ms4K

Quantization options

How Pixtral Large 124B (124B params) fits at each quantization level on NVIDIA A100 40GB (40.0 GB usable).

QuantBitsVRAMQualityFit
Q2_K
2
48.4 GB
LowF0
Q3_K_S
3
60.8 GB
LowF0
NVFP4
4

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Pixtral Large 124B well

👁 NVIDIA
RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition 96GBBudget pick
96 GB VRAM (+56)1792 GB/s (+237)
S
Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.21.6 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

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

~$9,999 MSRP

👁 NVIDIA
RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition 96GBBest value
96 GB VRAM (+56)1597 GB/s (+42)
S
Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.19.3 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

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

~$9,999 MSRP

👁 NVIDIA
NVIDIA H20 96GBNVIDIA upgrade
96 GB VRAM (+56)4000 GB/s (+2445)
S
Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.46.6 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

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

~$12,000 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

See all results for NVIDIA A100 40GBSee all hardware for Pixtral Large 124B
69.4 GB
Medium
F0
Q4_K_M
4
75.6 GB
MediumF0
Q5_K_M
5
89.3 GB
HighF0
Q6_K
6
101.7 GB
HighF0
Q8_0
8
132.7 GB
Very HighF0
F16
16
254.2 GB
MaximumF0

Add more VRAM headroom. The first useful upgrade is more dedicated VRAM so you can fit the model without shrinking context or dropping to a much lower quant.