DeepSeek-Coder V2 (class) vs StarCoder2 15B
Size, context window, license, approximate VRAM and the minimum local hardware each model needs — computed from our catalog and compatibility engine, not benchmarks.
| DeepSeek-Coder V2 (class) | StarCoder2 15B | |
|---|---|---|
| Parameters | 16B | 15B |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 16K tokens |
| License | DeepSeek License | BigCode OpenRAIL-M |
| ~VRAM @ 4-bit (Q4_K_M) | ~11 GB | ~10 GB |
| ~VRAM @ 8-bit (Q8_0) | ~18 GB | ~17 GB |
| Minimum device | Intel Arc A770 16GB | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB |
| Recommended device | Supermicro 8x H100 SuperServer | Supermicro 8x H100 SuperServer |
| Deployment | Local / on-prem | Local / on-prem |
| Capabilities | Code, Long context | Code |
Highlighted cells mark the lighter / longer / more permissive side per row, for local deployment. Informational rows have no winner.
Bottom line
StarCoder2 15B (~15B) is lighter than DeepSeek-Coder V2 (class) (~16B), so it runs on more modest hardware, while DeepSeek-Coder V2 (class) trades a larger footprint for more capacity. At 4-bit, StarCoder2 15B needs about 10GB versus ~11GB, a meaningful gap when choosing a GPU. DeepSeek-Coder V2 (class) advertises the longer context window (128K vs 16K), which helps with long documents. Minimum viable hardware differs: DeepSeek-Coder V2 (class) starts on a Intel Arc A770 16GB, StarCoder2 15B on a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB. Figures are approximate working-set estimates, not benchmarks — verify the exact release before committing hardware.
Pick DeepSeek-Coder V2 (class) if you have the memory to spare and want the larger model, or you need the longer 128K context window, or your focus is coding.
Pick StarCoder2 15B if you want the lighter footprint and cheaper hardware, or your focus is coding.
The compact coder variants fit 16GB+ at 4-bit; larger MoE variants need 48GB+ or cloud.
16GB+ GPUs at 4-bit. The largest StarCoder2 for stronger completion on one card.
Run the winner on hardware you control
Pick the model that fits your footprint, then turn the right machine into a private AI Business OS — no per-seat data leaving your premises.