RigFit › Models › Stable Diffusion XL 1.0

Best GPU for Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 (2026)

The cheapest GPU that runs Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 at 4-bit (Q4) is the Arc B580 (12 GB), currently about $330 (new, VideoCardPrices (Newegg), 2026-11-12). Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 needs roughly 5.2 GB of VRAM at Q4. Don't want to buy? Rent a GeForce RTX 3060 12GB that fits it from $0.056/hr (Vast.ai).

Prices updated Nov 12, 2026 · model on Hugging Face

Cheapest card that fits, by quantization

Quant	VRAM needed	Cheapest GPU that fits	Price	Speed	Shop
Q4	5.2 GB	Arc B58012 GB	$330 newVideoCardPrices (Newegg) · 2026-11-12	n/a	Check pricenew · Amazon or used on eBay
Q8	6.3 GB	Arc B58012 GB	$330 newVideoCardPrices (Newegg) · 2026-11-12	n/a	Check pricenew · Amazon or used on eBay
FP16	8.6 GB	Arc B58012 GB	$330 newVideoCardPrices (Newegg) · 2026-11-12	n/a	Check pricenew · Amazon or used on eBay

Image/video speed is compute-bound and not estimated. 1024x1024, batch 1, both text encoders + VAE resident at FP16. Context for text models: 8K tokens. Model specs: 2.6B parameters (from Hugging Face metadata, fetched 2026-10-18).

Or rent a GPU for Stable Diffusion XL 1.0

Quant	VRAM needed	Cheapest rentable GPU that fits	Price	Est. speed*
Q4	5.2 GB	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB	$0.056/hrVast.ai · marketplace	n/a	Rent
Q8	6.3 GB	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB	$0.056/hrVast.ai · marketplace	n/a	Rent
FP16	8.6 GB	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB12 GB	$0.056/hrVast.ai · marketplace	n/a	Rent

Cheapest on-demand hourly prices found 2026-11-12 05:55 ET. Marketplace prices move by the minute. Compare all rental prices and the buy-vs-rent break-even →

Try other settings

Model

Quantization

Context length

FAQ

How much VRAM does Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 need?

About 5 GB at Q4, 6 GB at Q8, 9 GB at FP16 (1024x1024, batch 1, both text encoders + VAE resident at FP16.)

What is the best budget GPU for Stable Diffusion XL 1.0?

Arc B580 is the cheapest card in our tracker that fits it at Q4.

Can I rent a GPU to run Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 instead?

Yes. The cheapest single rented GPU with enough VRAM for Q4 we found was a GeForce RTX 3060 12GB at $0.06/hour on Vast.ai (2026-11-12). Marketplace prices change constantly.

Other models