Skip to content
Llama Builds

AMD · RDNA 4 · 2025

AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 for local AI

32GB for far less than NVIDIA workstation cards and built for stacking, but no faster per card than an RX 9070 XT.

Updated · Speeds marked ~ are estimates; seemethodology

VRAM
32GB
Bandwidth
640 GB/s
Power
300W
Runs well
8 models

R9700

Typically about $1,800

Can the R9700 run LLMs?

The R9700 has 32GB of GDDR6 and 640 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which decides how big a model fits and how fast it generates text. It comfortably runs models up to about 35B parameters: the largest in our catalog is Qwen3.6 35B-A3B at Q5_K_M (28GB with 8K context, ~78 tokens/sec). Our top all-round pick for it is Qwen3.8 27B (Q6_K, ~18 tokens/sec). Llama 3.3 70B Instruct only runs with partial CPU offload, at about 2.4 tokens/sec with CPU offload.

Recommendations

Best models for the R9700

  1. Best overall · also coding, reasoning, vision

    Qwen3.8 27B

    Q6_K · 25GB · ~18 tokens/sec

    Runs well
  2. Runner-up · also fastest, largest that fits

    Qwen3.6 35B-A3B

    Q5_K_M · 28GB · ~78 tokens/sec

    Runs well
Read: the best LLMs to run on the R9700

Compatibility

What runs on the R9700

Every current model in our catalog, at the best quantization that fits in 32GB with 8K tokens of context. "Partial offload" means part of the model runs from system RAM (we assume 64GB), which is much slower.

Which open-weight models run on the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700, with the best quantization and estimated speed
ModelParametersBest quantMemorySpeedVerdict
Gemma 4 E4B8BQ8_010 GB~41 tok/sRuns well
Qwen3.5 9B9BQ8_012 GB~36 tok/sRuns well
Phi-414.7BQ8_018 GB~26 tok/sRuns well
gpt-oss-20b20.9B (3.6B active)MXFP415 GB~75 tok/sRuns well
Gemma 4 26B A4B26B (3.8B active)Q6_K23 GB~61 tok/sRuns well
Qwen3.8 27B27BQ6_K25 GB~18 tok/sRuns well
Gemma 4 31B31BQ5_K_M26 GB~18 tok/sRuns well
Qwen3.6 35B-A3B35B (3B active)Q5_K_M28 GB~78 tok/sRuns well
GLM-4.5-Air106B (12B active)Q4_K_M68 GB~9.2 tok/sPartial offload
Llama 4 Scout109B (17B active)Q4_K_M70 GB~6.6 tok/sPartial offload
gpt-oss-120b117B (5.1B active)MXFP468 GB~23 tok/sPartial offload
Qwen3.5 122B-A10B122B (10B active)Q4_K_M77 GB~10 tok/sPartial offload
DeepSeek V4 Flash284B (13B active)———Won't fitWhat it needs
GLM-5.3-Flash320B (18B active)———Won't fitWhat it needs
GLM-5.3744B (40B active)———Won't fitWhat it needs

Performance

R9700 vs. alternatives on Qwen3.8 27B

Generation speed in tokens per second for a single user. Token generation is limited mostly by memory bandwidth, which is why bandwidth predicts these results so well.

  1. RTX 5090

    Q6_K · 32GB

    ~59tok/s

  2. RX 9070 XT

    Q3_K_M · 16GB

    ~30tok/s

  3. R9700

    Q6_K · 32GB

    ~18tok/s

  4. Arc Pro B70

    Q6_K · 32GB

    ~14tok/s

Estimated (method)

Measured

R9700 benchmark results

ModelQuantRuntimeGenerationPromptSource
Llama 2 7B ChatQ4_0llama.cpp (Vulkan)145 tok/s5610 tok/sllama.cpp discussion #10879: Performance of llama.cpp with Vulkan · October 2026
Llama 2 7B ChatQ4_0llama.cpp (Vulkan)125 tok/s5035 tok/sllama.cpp discussion #10879: Performance of llama.cpp with Vulkan · October 2026
Llama 2 7B ChatQ4_0llama.cpp (ROCm (HIP))115 tok/s4665 tok/sllama.cpp discussion #15021: Performance of llama.cpp on AMD ROCm (HIP) · October 2026
Llama 2 7B ChatQ4_0llama.cpp (ROCm (HIP))94 tok/s4445 tok/sllama.cpp discussion #15021: Performance of llama.cpp on AMD ROCm (HIP) · October 2026

Our take

Should you buy the R9700 for AI?

The Radeon AI PRO R9700 uses the full Navi 48 chip with 32GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus for 640 GB/s. Its blower cooler and 300W rating are designed for multi-GPU workstations, and four cards give 128GB of VRAM for large MoE models. ROCm officially supports it, and llama.cpp and vLLM both run on it. AMD set a $1,299 retail price in October 2025, but shortage pricing pushed it to about $1,800 by October 2026.

What we like

  • 32GB per card for less than NVIDIA workstation cards
  • Blower cooler for dense multi-GPU builds
  • Official ROCm support

Watch out for

  • 640 GB/s is modest for a 32GB card
  • Street price well above the $1,299 MSRP
  • Some CUDA-only tools will not run

Best for: Multi-GPU ROCm workstations · Running 32B models at 6 bit on one card

Specifications

R9700 specs that matter for AI

Memory
32GB GDDR6
Memory bandwidth
640 GB/s
Memory bus
256-bit
Architecture
RDNA 4
Power
300W
Interface
PCIe 5.0 x16
Released
2025
Launch price
$1,299
Street price (new)
~$1,800 (2026-10)
Software
ROCm, Vulkan

Sources: Wikipedia, Radeon RX 9000 series, Wikipedia, AMD Radeon AI Pro R9000 specifications table

Cross-shop

Alternatives to the R9700

Frequently asked questions

How much VRAM does the R9700 have?

The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 has 32GB of GDDR6 with 640 GB/s of memory bandwidth on a 256-bit bus.

What is the largest LLM the R9700 can run?

Fully in GPU memory, the largest model in our catalog that runs comfortably is Qwen3.6 35B-A3B (35B (3B active)) at Q5_K_M, using about 28GB with 8K context at ~78 tokens/sec.

Can the R9700 run Llama 3.3 70B?

Only with partial CPU offload. At Q4_K_M the model needs about 47GB with 8K context, so part of it spills into system RAM and speed drops to about 2.4 tokens/sec with CPU offload. For usable 70B speeds you want 48GB of VRAM or more (for example two 24GB cards).

What is the best LLM to run on the R9700?

Our top pick is Qwen3.8 27B at Q6_K, which fits in 32GB with room for 8K of context and runs at ~18 tokens/sec. See our full list of the best models for the R9700 for coding, reasoning, and vision picks.

Is the R9700 good for local AI in 2026?

32GB for far less than NVIDIA workstation cards and built for stacking, but no faster per card than an RX 9070 XT.