gpu optimized

Best Local AI Models for RTX 4070 (12GB)

The RTX 4070 delivers strong mid-range performance with 12GB GDDR6X memory. At 52 tokens per second for 8B models, it offers excellent speed for 7B-8B parameter models at a reasonable price point.

Specifications
VRAM
12 GB GDDR6X
Speed (8B Q4)
52 tok/s
Price
$579
Architecture
Ada Lovelace
Bandwidth
504 GB/s
Max Model Size
Up to 9B parameter models
Compatibility
10 excellent, 0 workable

Compare Similar GPUs

GPUVRAMSpeedBandwidthPrice
RTX 306012 GB42 tok/s360 GB/s$250
RTX 407012 GB52 tok/s504 GB/s$579
RTX 507012 GB59 tok/s672 GB/s$579
RTX 4070 SUPER12 GB56 tok/s504 GB/s$759

Recommended Models

10 models
01

Qwen3.5 4B Instruct

Qwen / 4B / Q4_K_M / ~3.5 GB

Best for: Coding, Agents, Multimodal·Pop: 88/100

Perf: ~93.7 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for coding, agents, multimodal on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run qwen3.5:4b-instruct-q4_K_M
02

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Llama / 8B / Q4_K_M / ~6.5 GB

Best for: Chat, Coding·Pop: 94/100

Perf: ~52.0 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for chat, coding on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run llama3.1:8b-instruct-q4_K_M
03

Qwen3.5 9B Instruct

Qwen / 9B / Q4_K_M / ~7 GB

Best for: Quality, Coding, Reasoning·Pop: 86/100

Perf: ~47.0 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for quality, coding, reasoning on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run qwen3.5:9b-instruct-q4_K_M
04

Qwen3 8B

Qwen / 8B / Q4_K_M / ~6.5 GB

Best for: Chat, Coding·Pop: 88/100

Perf: ~52.0 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for chat, coding on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run qwen3:8b-q4_K_M
05

Mistral 7B Instruct

Mistral / 7B / Q4_K_M / ~5.5 GB

Best for: Chat, Coding·Pop: 90/100

Perf: ~58.3 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for chat, coding on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run mistral:7b-instruct-q4_K_M
06

Qwen2.5 Coder 7B

Qwen / 7B / Q4_K_M / ~5.5 GB

Best for: Coding·Pop: 85/100

Perf: ~58.3 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for coding on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run qwen2.5-coder:7b-q4_K_M
07

Qwen2.5 7B Instruct

Qwen / 7B / Q4_K_M / ~5.5 GB

Best for: Chat, Coding·Pop: 86/100

Perf: ~58.3 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for chat, coding on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run qwen2.5:7b-instruct-q4_K_M
08

LFM2 8B-A1B Instruct

LFM2 / 8B / Q4_K_M / ~6 GB

Best for: Local agents, tool calling, fast chat·Pop: 75/100

Perf: ~52.0 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for local agents, tool calling, fast chat on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run liquidai/lfm2:8b-a1b-instruct-q4_K_M
09

DeepSeek-R1 Distill Qwen 7B

DeepSeek / 7B / Q4_K_M / ~5.5 GB

Best for: Reasoning, Coding·Pop: 77/100

Perf: ~58.3 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for reasoning, coding on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run deepseek-r1-distill:qwen-7b-q4_K_M
10

Gemma 3 4B Instruct

Gemma / 4B / Q4_K_M / ~3.5 GB

Best for: Chat, Coding·Pop: 81/100

Perf: ~93.7 tok/s · first token ~0.4s

Local OK//Excellent

Fits in 12 GB VRAM with room to spare. Best for chat, coding on RTX 4070.

ollama
ollama run gemma3:4b-instruct-q4_K_M

Similar GPUs

Frequently Asked Questions

What AI models can I run on an RTX 4070?

With 12GB VRAM, the RTX 4070 can run up to 9b parameter models. Top recommendations include Qwen3.5 4B Instruct, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct, Qwen3.5 9B Instruct.

How fast is the RTX 4070 for local AI?

The RTX 4070 achieves 52 tokens per second with Qwen3 8B at Q4 quantization. Smaller models run faster, larger models slower.

Is 12GB VRAM enough for local AI?

12GB VRAM is sufficient for local AI. You can comfortably run up to 9b parameter models with room for KV cache. 10 of our top 10 recommended models run at full speed.

How do I run AI models on RTX 4070 with Ollama?

Install Ollama from ollama.com, then run models directly. For example: ollama run qwen3.5:4b-instruct-q4_K_M. Ollama automatically detects your NVIDIA GPU and uses CUDA acceleration.

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