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Stable1.6B params4k context

StableLM 2 1.6B locally

StableLM 2 1.6B is an open-weight LLM from the Stable family with 1.6B parameters. Main use: chat, RAG and general assistance. Detected minimum hardware: GTX 1650 (4 GB).

Check on my GPU →Hugging Face ↗

Technical facts

Parameters1.6B

Max context4k

Q4_K_M1.0 GB

Q5_K_M1.2 GB

Q81.8 GB

FP163.6 GB

FamilyStable

Last sync2026-05-12

Available quantizations

GGUF weights

Q4_K_M

1.0GB

Acceptable. Good compromise when VRAM is limited.

Q5_K_M

1.2GB

Good quality. Sweet spot for size and precision.

Q8

1.8GB

Near-FP16 quality. Comfortable for production.

FP16

3.6GB

Reference precision. Maximum quality, doubled VRAM.

Compatible GPUs

12 single-GPU

GPUs that can run StableLM 2 1.6B on a single card, ranked by VRAM headroom.

1.8 / 4 GBcomfortable · Q8

3.6 / 6 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 6 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 6 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 6 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 6 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 6 GBcomfortable · FP16

6 GB · Arc Alchemist

3.6 / 6 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 8 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 8 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 8 GBcomfortable · FP16

3.6 / 8 GBcomfortable · FP16

Recommended multi-GPU rigs

2x / 4x consumer GPUs

For StableLM 2 1.6B at higher quantization or with more context, a multi-GPU rig gives more headroom.

3.6 / 8 GBcomfortable · FP16

2× GTX 1060 6GB

12 GB · GTX 10

3.6 / 12 GBcomfortable · FP16

12 GB · GTX 16

3.6 / 12 GBcomfortable · FP16

2× GTX 1660 Super

12 GB · GTX 16

3.6 / 12 GBcomfortable · FP16

2× GTX 1660 Ti

12 GB · GTX 16

3.6 / 12 GBcomfortable · FP16

2× RTX 2060 6GB

12 GB · RTX 20

3.6 / 12 GBcomfortable · FP16

2× RTX 3050 6GB

12 GB · RTX 30

3.6 / 12 GBcomfortable · FP16

12 GB · Arc Alchemist

3.6 / 12 GBcomfortable · FP16

Recommended rig

2× GTX 1650

StableLM 2 1.6B with Ubuntu, vLLM, Open WebUI and the model already downloaded.

VRAM estimates: parameters x bits/8 plus margin. Real performance varies by engine, context length and batch size.
sync: 2026-05-12