Best GPU for Stable Diffusion & Local Image Generation (2026)
Best GPUs for running Stable Diffusion, SDXL, and Flux locally. Compare RTX 4060 to RTX 5090 for AI image generation with speed benchmarks.
Last updated: February 7, 2026
🎯 Why This Matters
Image generation is VRAM-hungry and compute-intensive. Unlike LLM inference where you mainly need VRAM to fit the model, Stable Diffusion benefits heavily from both VRAM (for higher resolutions and batch sizes) and raw GPU compute power (for faster generation). 8GB VRAM is the bare minimum; 12-16GB is comfortable; 24GB+ unlocks everything.
🏆 Our Recommendations
Tested and ranked by real-world AI performance
NVIDIA RTX 4060 8GB
✅ Pros
- $299 entry point
- Can run SD 1.5 and SDXL
- Low power consumption
- Good enough for hobbyists
❌ Cons
- 8GB VRAM limits resolution and batch size
- SDXL with LoRA can run out of VRAM
- Can't train LoRAs effectively
- No Flux at full quality
NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB
✅ Pros
- 16GB VRAM handles SDXL + LoRAs comfortably
- Can run Flux models
- LoRA training possible
- Great price-to-VRAM ratio
❌ Cons
- Slower than 4070 Ti for raw generation speed
- LoRA training is slow compared to 4090
- Not enough for SDXL fine-tuning
NVIDIA RTX 4090 24GB
✅ Pros
- Fastest consumer card for image gen
- 24GB handles anything
- LoRA training in minutes
- High-res generation (2048x2048+)
- Batch generation for workflows
❌ Cons
- $1,599 price
- 450W power draw
- Overkill for casual use
- Massive physical card
💡 Prices may vary. Links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we'd actually use.
🤖 Compatible Models
Models you can run with this hardware
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How much VRAM do I need for Stable Diffusion?
SD 1.5: 4GB minimum, 8GB comfortable. SDXL: 8GB minimum, 12-16GB comfortable. Flux: 12GB minimum, 16GB+ comfortable. For training LoRAs: 12GB minimum, 24GB ideal.
Can I use AMD GPUs for Stable Diffusion?
Yes, via DirectML or ROCm, but NVIDIA CUDA is much faster and better supported. ComfyUI and Automatic1111 both work best with NVIDIA. AMD is improving but expect 20-40% slower speeds and occasional compatibility issues.
SD 1.5 vs SDXL vs Flux — which should I use?
In 2026, Flux is the quality king but needs 12GB+ VRAM. SDXL is the sweet spot with great quality and wide LoRA availability. SD 1.5 is legacy but runs on anything. Start with SDXL if you have 12GB+ VRAM.
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