Can the RTX 3060 12 GB run Qwen-Image?
Download Q2_K (7.1 GB). With the model's working memory it needs about 9.9 GB, leaving 2.1 GB spare on 12 GB. Quality: heavy loss; a last resort. For better quality, Q3_K_M (9.7 GB) also runs, with about 0.5 GB spilling into system RAM — a little slower, still practical.
Worth trying on this GPU: with an up-to-date ComfyUI, Dynamic VRAM (on by default for NVIDIA since March 2026) streams whatever does not fit from system RAM, and ComfyUI's own start-up message recommends native FP8/INT8 files over GGUF, saying they “will be faster even if they are larger than your memory”. So before settling for a heavily compressed GGUF, try the native FP8 file (20.4 GB). The file recommended above is the best one that fits entirely — the safe choice on older ComfyUI versions, AMD and Intel. Comfy blog: Dynamic VRAM →
01What to download
| Part | File | Folder | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | qwen-image-Q2_K.gguf Q2_K · city96/Qwen-Image-gguf | models/unet | 7.1 GB | Download → |
| Text encoder | qwen_2.5_vl_7b_fp8_scaled.safetensors Qwen2.5-VL 7B FP8 · Comfy-Org/Qwen-Image_ComfyUI | models/text_encoders | 9.4 GB | Download → |
| VAE | qwen_image_vae.safetensors Qwen-Image VAE · Comfy-Org/Qwen-Image_ComfyUI | models/vae | 0.3 GB | Download → |
| Total download · keep about the same free on disk | 16.7 GB | |||
Alternatives: Qwen2.5-VL 7B BF16 (16.6 GB). The 16-bit text encoder is a little more faithful; the smaller one is chosen here because it loads faster and needs less RAM. Sizes read from Hugging Face (2026-09-25). “Download” links start the file directly; the file name links are the same files the official ComfyUI workflows use.
System RAM: 32 GB or more. ComfyUI keeps the model file, the text encoder and the VAE in system RAM and moves them to the GPU as needed. With this set of files that is about 16.7 GB, plus roughly 6 GB for Windows, ComfyUI and a browser: 22.7 GB in total. With less RAM it still runs, but Windows starts swapping to disk and loading gets very slow. calculated
02Every Qwen-Image file on 12 GB
| File | Size | Needed | On this card | Quality | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-bit SAFETENSORS · Comfy-Org | 40.9 GB | 43.7 GB | 31.7 GB too big | the original weights | Hugging Face → |
| Q8_0 GGUF · city96 | 21.8 GB | 24.6 GB | 12.6 GB too big | practically identical to the original | Hugging Face → |
| FP8 SAFETENSORS · Comfy-Org | 20.4 GB | 23.2 GB | 11.2 GB too big | practically identical to the original | Hugging Face → |
| Q6_K GGUF · city96 | 16.8 GB | 19.6 GB | 7.6 GB too big | very close to the original | Hugging Face → |
| Q5_K_M GGUF · city96 | 14.9 GB | 17.7 GB | 5.7 GB too big | close; small differences in fine detail | Hugging Face → |
| Q4_K_M GGUF · city96 | 13.1 GB | 15.9 GB | 3.9 GB too big | good; some loss in fine detail and text | Hugging Face → |
| Q3_K_M GGUF · city96 | 9.7 GB | 12.5 GB | spills 0.5 GB | noticeable loss of detail | Hugging Face → |
| Q2_K ← GGUF · city96 | 7.1 GB | 9.9 GB | fits · 2.1 GB spare | heavy loss; a last resort | Hugging Face → |
Sizes from the Hugging Face file listing, read 2026-09-25. “Needed” = file + 2 GB working memory for this model + 0.8 GB kept free for the system.
03The text encoder
Qwen2.5-VL 7B: 16.6 GB as 16-bit, 9.4 GB as FP8. ComfyUI encodes the prompt first and can push the encoder out of VRAM before sampling, so it does not have to fit together with the model. On 12 GB the FP8 encoder fits on its own, so prompt encoding stays fast.
04About this GPU
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.
RTX 3060 12 GB: 12 GB GDDR6 · 192-bit · 360 GB/s · Ampere. Everything that runs on the RTX 3060 12 GB →
05What more VRAM would change
With 24 GB you could run Qwen-Image at 8-bit or better (FP8, 20.4 GB) with no offloading: for example on the RTX 4090 24 GB, RTX 3090 24 GB, RX 7900 XTX 24 GB.
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 →
06Measured and reported results
| Label | Setup | Result | Peak VRAM | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| reported | 20 steps “Qwen-ImageがRTX 3060（12GB）で動くと聞いて、早速ComfyUI版をお試し。確かに問題なく動いて、20stepでちょうど5分。” 'ちょうど5分' = exactly 5 minutes (converted to 300 s); ComfyUI version, file/resolution not stated; quote taken from search index (x.com not fetchable); date from tweet ID | 300 s / image | — | 2025-08-05 | x.com → |
Reported results are other people's numbers, copied as published, with a link. Settings, drivers and ComfyUI versions differ, so compare them with care. Send yours.
07Questions
How much VRAM does Qwen-Image need?
Around 9.9 GB with the smallest file (Q2_K) and 23.2 GB with an 8-bit file (FP8), counting working memory and a small system reserve. The full 16-bit file needs about 43.7 GB.
Which Qwen-Image file should I download for the RTX 3060 12 GB?
Q2_K (7.1 GB) from city96/Qwen-Image-gguf. Load it with Unet Loader (GGUF) from the ComfyUI-GGUF node pack.
Is FP8 faster than GGUF on the RTX 3060 12 GB?
No. This GPU has no FP8 compute, so ComfyUI converts FP8 weights back before the maths. FP8 only saves memory here; Q8_0 GGUF is the closer-to-original 8-bit pick.
How much do I need to download for Qwen-Image on the RTX 3060 12 GB?
About 16.7 GB for the model file, text encoder and VAE listed on this page, and the same again free on disk. With a 12 GB card, 32 GB of system RAM or more is recommended.