Whisper Large v3 Hardware Requirements
The default speech-to-text model for the entire industry. 99-language transcription and translation, MIT-licensed, and light enough that any modern GPU handles it in real time.
VRAM needed
6 GB
minimum 4 GB
Cheapest GPU that runs it: RTX 3060 (~$238 used)
Check Price on AmazonUpdated July 2026. Estimates — see methodology below.
VRAM guidance
INT8 via faster-whisper runs in ~4GB; the Turbo variant (809M) is near-realtime on almost any GPU.
Best GPUs for Whisper Large v3
The cheapest way to run Whisper Large v3 well.
GPU Compatibility
Every GPU in our database, scored against Whisper Large v3.
| GPU | VRAM | Verdict | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 3060 | 12 GB | Runs great | ~$238 used | Check price |
| Arc B570 | 10 GB | Runs great | from $225 | Check price |
| RTX 4060 | 8 GB | Runs great | ~$275 used | Check price |
| RX 7600 | 8 GB | Runs great | from $250 | Check price |
| Arc B580 | 12 GB | Runs great | from $250 | Check price |
| RX 6700 XT | 12 GB | Runs great | ~$315 used | Check price |
| Arc A770 | 16 GB | Runs great | from $300 | Check price |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 8 GB | Runs great | ~$338 used | Check price |
| RTX 3070 | 8 GB | Runs great | ~$338 used | Check price |
| RTX 5060 | 8 GB | Runs great | from $325 | Check price |
| RX 7700 XT | 12 GB | Runs great | ~$415 used | Check price |
| RX 6800 XT | 16 GB | Runs great | ~$438 used | Check price |
| RTX 3080 | 10 GB | Runs great | ~$463 used | Check price |
| RX 7800 XT | 16 GB | Runs great | ~$488 used | Check price |
| RTX 4070 | 12 GB | Runs great | ~$500 used | Check price |
| RTX 4070 SUPER | 12 GB | Runs great | ~$563 used | Check price |
| RX 7900 XT | 20 GB | Runs great | ~$588 used | Check price |
| RTX 5060 Ti | 16 GB | Runs great | from $550 | Check price |
| RX 9070 | 16 GB | Runs great | from $575 | Check price |
| RTX 5070 | 12 GB | Runs great | from $600 | Check price |
| RX 9070 XT | 16 GB | Runs great | from $600 | Check price |
| RTX 4070 Ti SUPER | 16 GB | Runs great | ~$750 used | Check price |
| RX 7900 XTX | 24 GB | Runs great | ~$838 used | Check price |
| RTX 4080 SUPER | 16 GB | Runs great | ~$900 used | Check price |
| RTX 5070 Ti | 16 GB | Runs great | from $900 | Check price |
| RTX 3090 | 24 GB | Runs great | ~$1,150 used | Check price |
| RTX 5080 | 16 GB | Runs great | from $1,250 | Check price |
| RTX 4090 | 24 GB | Runs great | ~$2,375 used | Check price |
| RTX 5090 | 32 GB | Runs great | from $2,800 | Check price |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much VRAM do I need to run Whisper Large v3?+
Whisper Large v3 needs a minimum of 4GB of VRAM, with 6GB recommended for comfortable use. INT8 via faster-whisper runs in ~4GB; the Turbo variant (809M) is near-realtime on almost any GPU.
What is the cheapest GPU that runs Whisper Large v3?+
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB, ~$238 used) is the cheapest current GPU in our database that runs Whisper Large v3 fully in VRAM.
Is Whisper Large v3 free for commercial use?+
Yes. Whisper Large v3 is released under the MIT, which permits commercial use.
Related Models
How we calculate these numbers
VRAM = model weights (parameters × bits per weight ÷ 8) + KV cache (architecture-specific bytes per token × context length) + ~1.2GB runtime overhead. Speed estimates assume decode is memory-bandwidth-bound at ~50% utilization (lower for MoE models, which pay routing overhead), matching typical llama.cpp performance on consumer cards; real results vary with runtime, drivers, and settings. Quant sizes reflect GGUF K-quants, which keep some layers at higher precision. Figures are estimates for planning, not guarantees — when in doubt, buy more VRAM than you need today. Prices shown are launch MSRP; mid-2026 street prices often run well above MSRP due to the ongoing memory shortage, and used 24GB cards are holding their value unusually well.