Can the RTX 3060 12 GB run HiDream-I1 (Dev)?
Not at full quality. The 16-bit and 8-bit files are too big for the RTX 3060 12 GB; the largest that fits is Q3_K_M (8.8 GB).
Q3_K_M (8.8 GB) fits with only 0.4 GB to spare (about 11.6 GB of 12 GB). Quality: noticeable loss of detail.
Also try the FP8 file (17.1 GB) on this GPU. It does not fit entirely, but a current ComfyUI streams the overflow from RAM and native 8-bit files often beat a small GGUF that does fit. Dynamic VRAM →
01What to download
| Part | File | Folder | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | hidream-i1-dev-Q3_K_M.gguf Q3_K_M · city96/HiDream-I1-Dev-gguf | models/unet | 8.8 GB | Download → |
| Text encoder | t5xxl_fp8_e4m3fn_scaled.safetensors T5-XXL FP8 scaled · Comfy-Org/HiDream-I1_ComfyUI | models/text_encoders | 5.2 GB | Download → |
| Text encoder | clip_l_hidream.safetensors CLIP-L (HiDream) · Comfy-Org/HiDream-I1_ComfyUI | models/text_encoders | 0.2 GB | Download → |
| Text encoder | clip_g_hidream.safetensors CLIP-G (HiDream) · Comfy-Org/HiDream-I1_ComfyUI | models/text_encoders | 1.4 GB | Download → |
| Text encoder | llama_3.1_8b_instruct_fp8_scaled.safetensors Llama 3.1 8B Instruct FP8 · Comfy-Org/HiDream-I1_ComfyUI | models/text_encoders | 9.1 GB | Download → |
| VAE | ae.safetensors FLUX.1 VAE (ae) · Comfy-Org/HiDream-I1_ComfyUI | models/vae | 0.3 GB | Download → |
| Total download · keep about the same free on disk | 25.0 GB | |||
Alternatives: T5-XXL FP16 (9.8 GB). Sizes from Hugging Face, 2026-10-01.
02Every HiDream-I1 file on 12 GB
| File | Size | Needed | On this card | Quality | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-bit SAFETENSORS · Comfy-Org | 34.2 GB | 37.0 GB | 25.0 GB too big | the original weights | Hugging Face → |
| Q8_0 GGUF · city96 | 18.7 GB | 21.5 GB | 9.5 GB too big | practically identical to the original | Hugging Face → |
| FP8 SAFETENSORS · Comfy-Org | 17.1 GB | 19.9 GB | 7.9 GB too big | practically identical to the original | Hugging Face → |
| Q6_K GGUF · city96 | 14.7 GB | 17.5 GB | 5.5 GB too big | very close to the original | Hugging Face → |
| Q5_K_M GGUF · city96 | 13.0 GB | 15.8 GB | 3.8 GB too big | close; small differences in fine detail | Hugging Face → |
| Q4_K_M GGUF · city96 | 11.5 GB | 14.3 GB | 2.3 GB too big | good; some loss in fine detail and text | Hugging Face → |
| Q3_K_M ← GGUF · city96 | 8.8 GB | 11.6 GB | fits · 0.4 GB spare | noticeable loss of detail | Hugging Face → |
| Q2_K GGUF · city96 | 6.6 GB | 9.4 GB | fits · 2.6 GB spare | heavy loss; a last resort | Hugging Face → |
“Needed” adds 2 GB of working memory for HiDream-I1 and a 0.8 GB reserve. Sizes 2026-10-01.
03The text encoder
At 15.9 GB even the smallest CLIP-L + CLIP-G + T5-XXL + Llama 3.1 8B file is too big for 12 GB, so it runs from system RAM. That slows down reading the prompt, not the picture. Sizes: FP8 15.9 GB (all four together: CLIP-L 0.25 + CLIP-G 1.39 + T5-XXL FP8 5.16 + Llama 3.1 8B FP8 9.08 GB). Why the encoder does not count against VRAM →
04Measured and reported results
Nobody has sent measured numbers for this pair yet. If you run HiDream-I1 on a RTX 3060 12 GB, send your time per image and peak VRAM and it will appear here, credited.
05With more VRAM
With 20 GB you could run HiDream-I1 at 8-bit or better (FP8, 17.1 GB) with no offloading.
What changes from the RTX 3060 12 GB to the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB → · What changes from the RTX 3060 12 GB to the RTX 3090 24 GB → · What changes from the RTX 3060 12 GB to the RTX 4070 Ti Super 16 GB →
06About the RTX 3060 12 GB
The RTX 3060 12 GB (Ampere) has no FP8 compute. FP8 files still load and save memory, but ComfyUI converts them back before the maths, so there is no speed gain - Q8_0 GGUF is the closer-to-original 8-bit choice. ComfyUI can compute INT8 files natively on NVIDIA, which is worth a try where a model offers one.
12 GB GDDR6 · 192-bit · 360 GB/s · Ampere. Everything that runs on it →
07Questions
How much VRAM does HiDream-I1 need?
Around 9.4 GB with the smallest file (Q2_K) and 19.9 GB with an 8-bit file (FP8). The full 16-bit file needs about 37.0 GB.
Which HiDream-I1 file should I download for the RTX 3060 12 GB?
Q3_K_M (8.8 GB) from city96/HiDream-I1-Dev-gguf. Load it with Unet Loader (GGUF) from the ComfyUI-GGUF node pack.
FP8 or Q8_0 for HiDream-I1 on the RTX 3060 12 GB?
Q8_0 (18.7 GB). The RTX 3060 12 GB has no FP8 maths, so FP8 (17.1 GB) only saves memory and is a step further from the original.
How much do I need to download for HiDream-I1 on the RTX 3060 12 GB?
25.0 GB: hidream-i1-dev-Q3_K_M.gguf, t5xxl_fp8_e4m3fn_scaled.safetensors, clip_l_hidream.safetensors, clip_g_hidream.safetensors, llama_3.1_8b_instruct_fp8_scaled.safetensors, ae.safetensors.