Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T
Side-by-side VRAM requirements, benchmark scores, and GPU compatibility for local AI inference.
Quick verdict
DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T is more hardware-efficient: it needs 1091.4 GB at its Q4_K_M build vs 1748.7 GB for Kimi K3's NVFP4. Neither fits on any single GPU this site tracks.
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Prices as of Oct 17, 2026. Rates change; check RunPod for current pricing. Affiliate link: CanItRun may earn a commission. Doesn't affect the fit calculation above.
VRAM at each quantization (8k context)
| Quant | Kimi K3 | DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| FP32 | 12544.5 GB | 7168.1 GB | +75% |
| BF16 | 6272.4 GB | 3584.1 GB | +75% |
| FP16 | 6272.4 GB | 3584.1 GB | +75% |
| Q8_0 | 3334.0 GB | 1905.0 GB | +75% |
| Q6_K | 2575.1 GB | 1471.3 GB | +75% |
| Q5_K_M | 2233.3 GB | 1276.0 GB | +75% |
| Q4_K_M | 1910.3 GB | 1091.4 GB | +75% |
| Q3_K_M | 1508.9 GB | 862.1 GB | +75% |
| Q2_K | 1195.3 GB | 682.9 GB | +75% |
| NVFP4 | 1748.7 GB | 896.1 GB | +95% |
Diff is Kimi K3 relative to DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T. Green = lower VRAM (fits more GPUs).
Model specifications
| Spec | Kimi K3 | DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T |
|---|---|---|
| Org | Moonshot AI | DeepSeek |
| Parameters | 2800B | 1600B |
| Architecture | MoE (104B active) | MoE (49B active) |
| Context | 1024k tokens | 1024k tokens |
| Modalities | text, vision, video | text, vision, video |
| License | Kimi K3 | MIT |
| Commercial | Yes | Yes |
| Released | 2026-07-16 | 2026-04-24 |
| GPUs (native) | 0 / 121 | 0 / 121 |
Benchmark scores
| Benchmark | Kimi K3 | DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T |
|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond | 93.5 | 90.1 |
| SWE-bench Verified | 76.8 | N/A |
| Terminal-Bench 2.1 | 88.3 | N/A |
| Arena ELO | 1486.0 | N/A |
Green = higher score (better). N/A = not yet available. ~ = inherited from a base model, not independently reported for that release itself.
GPUs that run only Kimi K3(0)
Every GPU that runs Kimi K3 also runs DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T.
GPUs that run only DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T(0)
Every GPU that runs DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T also runs Kimi K3.
Which should you use?
- • You want maximum capability and have a 1749 GB+ GPU
- • You're running coding tasks
- • You need chain-of-thought reasoning
- • It's the newer release (2026-07-16 vs 2026-04-24); check the benchmark table above for what actually improved
- • You have limited VRAM: it's a smaller model needing 1091.4 GB vs 1748.7 GB
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better, Kimi K3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T?
- Kimi K3 has 2800B parameters vs 1600B for DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T, so Kimi K3 is the larger model. DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T is more hardware-efficient, needing 1091.4 GB at its Q4_K_M build vs 1748.7 GB for Kimi K3's NVFP4.
- How much VRAM does Kimi K3 need vs DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T?
- At 8k context, Kimi K3 needs approximately 1748.7 GB of VRAM at its NVFP4 build, while DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T needs 1091.4 GB at its Q4_K_M build. At the largest build each ships, Kimi K3 requires 6272.4 GB (FP16) vs 3584.1 GB (FP16) for DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T.
- Can you run Kimi K3 on the same GPUs as DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T?
- Neither runs natively on any single GPU this site tracks: Kimi K3 needs 1748.7 GB and DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T needs 1091.4 GB at their recommended builds, so both need a multi-GPU server with 1749 GB+ of combined VRAM.
- What is the difference between Kimi K3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T?
- Kimi K3 has 2800B parameters (104B active, MoE) with a 1024k context window. DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T has 1600B parameters (49B active, MoE) with a 1024k context window. Licensing differs: Kimi K3 is Kimi K3 while DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T is MIT.
- Which model fits in 24 GB of VRAM, Kimi K3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T?
- Neither fits in 24 GB: Kimi K3 needs 1748.7 GB at NVFP4 and DeepSeek V4 Pro 1.6T needs 1091.4 GB at Q4_K_M. Both require a multi-GPU server with 1749 GB+ of combined VRAM.