Can My GPU Run SDXL VAE?
VAE · VRAM requirements and compatibility for 78 GPUs
Decode/encode latent images for SDXL. SDXL VAE is a vae model — developed by Stability AI, released 2023-07, 335MB parameters, 335 MB download, license: openrail++.
Short answer: you need at least 0.3 GB of VRAM (0.5 GB recommended). 78 of 78 GPUs can run it; the smallest NVIDIA card that can is the GTX 1060 6GB (6 GB).
Check SDXL VAE on your GPUSDXL VAE VRAM requirements
| Format | VRAM |
|---|---|
| FP16 (full precision) | 0.5 GB |
| Minimum | 0.3 GB |
| Recommended | 0.5 GB |
| Optimal | 1 GB |
Tip: Bundled with SDXL. Can fix baked VAE color issues.
Available as: ComfyUI, Diffusers.
Official pages: Hugging Face
Which GPUs can run SDXL VAE?
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 | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5080 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5070 Ti | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5070 | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5060 Ti 8GB | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5060 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4090 | 24 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4080 Super | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4080 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4070 Super | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4070 | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4060 Ti 16GB | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4060 Ti 8GB | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 4060 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3090 Ti | 24 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3090 | 24 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3080 Ti | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3080 12GB | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3080 10GB | 10 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3070 Ti | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3070 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3060 Ti | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 5050 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 3060 | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 2080 Ti | 11 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 2080 Super | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 2080 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 2070 Super | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 2070 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 2060 Super | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RTX 2060 | 6 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| GTX 1080 Ti | 11 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| GTX 1080 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| GTX 1070 Ti | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| GTX 1070 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 6 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
AMD
| GPU | VRAM | Rating | Runs as | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RX 9070 XT | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 9070 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7900 XTX | 24 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 9070 GRE | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7900 XT | 20 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 9060 XT 16GB | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 9060 XT 8GB | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7900 GRE | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7800 XT | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7700 XT | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7600 XT | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 7600 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 6950 XT | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 6900 XT | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 6800 XT | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 6800 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 6700 XT | 12 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 6600 XT | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| RX 6600 | 8 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
Apple
| GPU | VRAM | Rating | Runs as | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M5 Ultra | 96 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M3 Ultra | 96 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M4 Max | 48 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M5 Max | 48 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M4 Pro | 24 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M5 Pro | 24 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M4 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M3 Max | 36 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M3 Pro | 18 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M5 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M6 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M3 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M2 Ultra | 192 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M2 Max | 96 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M2 Pro | 32 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M2 | 24 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M1 Ultra | 128 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M1 Max | 64 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M1 Pro | 32 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
| M1 | 16 GB | Perfect | FP32 | Fast | Details |
Frequently asked questions
How much VRAM does SDXL VAE need?
SDXL VAE needs at least 0.3 GB of VRAM, 0.5 GB recommended, and 0.5 GB to run at full FP16 precision.
Can SDXL VAE run on 8 GB of VRAM (e.g. NVIDIA RTX 4060)?
On the NVIDIA RTX 4060: yes, in FP32 (rating S, perfect).
Can SDXL VAE run on the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12 GB)?
Yes, in FP32 (rating S, perfect).
Which GPUs can run SDXL VAE?
78 of the 78 GPUs we track can run it, and 78 run it well (rating B or better). The cheapest one that runs it well is the NVIDIA RTX 5050 (8 GB, about $249).
Does SDXL VAE work on AMD or Apple Silicon?
19 AMD Radeon and 20 Apple Silicon chips in our list can run it.