Can My GPU Run SDXL Lightning 4-step?
Text to Image · VRAM requirements and compatibility for 78 GPUs
Home › AI Models › SDXL Lightning 4-step
Generate images fast with LoRA-based acceleration. SDXL Lightning 4-step is a text to image model — developed by ByteDance, released 2024-02, 3.5B parameters, 6.9 GB download, license: openrail++.
Short answer: you need at least 4 GB of VRAM (8 GB recommended). 78 of 78 GPUs can run it; the smallest NVIDIA card that can is the GTX 1060 6GB (6 GB).
Check SDXL Lightning 4-step on your GPUSDXL Lightning 4-step VRAM requirements
| Format | VRAM |
|---|---|
| FP16 (full precision) | 7 GB |
| FP8 | 5 GB |
| Minimum | 4 GB |
| Recommended | 8 GB |
| Optimal | 12 GB |
Tip: LoRA-based acceleration. 2/4/8 step variants available.
Available as: ComfyUI, Diffusers, FP8 versions, CPU offloading.
Official pages: Hugging Face
Which GPUs can run SDXL Lightning 4-step?
Ratings go from S (perfect) to F (can't run) and use the best format that fits in each card's VRAM. How ratings work.
NVIDIA
| GPU | VRAM | Rating | Runs as | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 32 GB | Perfect | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5080 | 16 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5070 Ti | 16 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5070 | 12 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5060 Ti 8GB | 8 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 5060 | 8 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 4090 | 24 GB | Perfect | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4080 Super | 16 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4080 | 16 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 16 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 12 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4070 Super | 12 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4070 | 12 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4060 Ti 16GB | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4060 Ti 8GB | 8 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 4060 | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 3090 Ti | 24 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3090 | 24 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3080 Ti | 12 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3080 12GB | 12 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3080 10GB | 10 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3070 Ti | 8 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 3070 | 8 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 3060 Ti | 8 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 5050 | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 3060 | 12 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 2080 Ti | 11 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 2080 Super | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 2080 | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 2070 Super | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 2070 | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 2060 Super | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RTX 2060 | 6 GB | Usable | Offload | Very Slow | Details |
| GTX 1080 Ti | 11 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| GTX 1080 | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| GTX 1070 Ti | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| GTX 1070 | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 6 GB | Usable | Offload | Very Slow | Details |
AMD
| GPU | VRAM | Rating | Runs as | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RX 9070 XT | 16 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RX 9070 | 16 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7900 XTX | 24 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RX 9070 GRE | 12 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7900 XT | 20 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RX 9060 XT 16GB | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RX 9060 XT 8GB | 8 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 7900 GRE | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7800 XT | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7700 XT | 12 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 7600 XT | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 7600 | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 6950 XT | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 6900 XT | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 6800 XT | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 6800 | 16 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 6700 XT | 12 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| RX 6600 XT | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Slow | Details |
| RX 6600 | 8 GB | Usable | FP16 | Slow | Details |
Apple
| GPU | VRAM | Rating | Runs as | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M5 Ultra | 96 GB | Great | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M3 Ultra | 96 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M4 Max | 48 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M5 Max | 48 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M4 Pro | 24 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M5 Pro | 24 GB | Good | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M4 | 16 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M3 Max | 36 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M3 Pro | 18 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M5 | 16 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M6 | 16 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M3 | 16 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M2 Ultra | 192 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M2 Max | 96 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M2 Pro | 32 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M2 | 24 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M1 Ultra | 128 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M1 Max | 64 GB | Good | FP16 | Fast | Details |
| M1 Pro | 32 GB | Usable | FP16 | Moderate | Details |
| M1 | 16 GB | Usable | FP16 | Slow | Details |
Frequently asked questions
How much VRAM does SDXL Lightning 4-step need?
SDXL Lightning 4-step needs at least 4 GB of VRAM, 8 GB recommended, and 7 GB to run at full FP16 precision.
Can SDXL Lightning 4-step run on 8 GB of VRAM (e.g. NVIDIA RTX 4060)?
On the NVIDIA RTX 4060: yes, in FP16 (rating C, usable).
Can SDXL Lightning 4-step run on the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12 GB)?
Yes, in FP16 (rating B, good).
Which GPUs can run SDXL Lightning 4-step?
78 of the 78 GPUs we track can run it, and 54 run it well (rating B or better). The cheapest one that runs it well is the NVIDIA RTX 5060 (8 GB, about $299).
Does SDXL Lightning 4-step work on AMD or Apple Silicon?
19 AMD Radeon and 20 Apple Silicon chips in our list can run it.