audio model · whisper · Windows
Can I run Whisper small on 16GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only)?
Yes. Whisper small runs on 16GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) at fp16 (whisper.cpp) (~0.85 GB of ~12 GB usable).
Runs at fp16 (whisper.cpp) using ~0.85 GB of ~12 GB usable.
- Peak memory
- ~0.85 GB
- Usable on device
- ~12 GB
- Device memory
- 16 GB
- Quant
- fp16 (whisper.cpp)
How to run it
Use whisper.cpp or faster-whisper at fp16 (whisper.cpp). It is light enough to run on CPU; a GPU just makes it faster.
- Type
- Speech to text
- Parameters
- 244M
- Peak memory
- ~0.85 GB at fp16 (whisper.cpp)
- License
- MIT
- Memory
- 16 GB ram
- Usable for weights
- ~12 GB
- Best runtime
- Ollama (llama.cpp backend)
You could also run
Run Whisper small on other hardware
FAQ
Can 16GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) run Whisper small?
Yes. Whisper small runs on 16GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) at fp16 (whisper.cpp) (~0.85 GB of ~12 GB usable).
How much memory does Whisper small need?
16GB RAM Laptop (CPU/iGPU only) has room to spare. At fp16 (whisper.cpp) the realistic peak is ~0.85 GB of memory.
What do I use to run Whisper small locally?
Whisper small runs in whisper.cpp or faster-whisper (among others). It runs on CPU, so no GPU is required.
Sources
VRAM figures are sourced peak-usage anchors at the noted quant, validated 2026-06-15. See methodology.