LocalClaw/LLM/Phi-4 Reasoning (14B)
Open-weight local LLM

Phi-4 Reasoning (14B)

Microsoft Phi-4 reasoning variant. Top choice for 14B reasoning — much better than DeepSeek R1 14B. Rivals larger models on math & logic.

16 GB sweet spot 12 GB RAM Q5_K_M Mathematics
Run with LocalClaw Compare all models
Parameters
14B
Minimum RAM
12 GB
Model size
8.5 GB
Quantization
Q5_K_M

Can Phi-4 Reasoning (14B) run locally?

Phi-4 Reasoning (14B) is a practical pick for 16 GB machines, especially with Q5_K_M quantization.

Search for phi-4-reasoning in LM Studio or another GGUF-compatible runtime.

microsoft/Phi-4-reasoning-GGUF
reasoningcodepower

Install path

01
Check RAM fitMinimum 12 GB RAM. Start with the Q5_K_M quant.
02
Load the modelSearch phi-4-reasoning in LM Studio.
03
Control locallyUse LocalClaw to manage models, agents, chat, channels and scheduled OpenClaw work.

Strengths

  • Rivals much larger models on math & logic
  • MIT license
  • Strong chain-of-thought
  • 544K downloads

Limitations

  • Needs 12GB+ RAM
  • English-only
  • Reasoning overhead makes it slower

Best use cases

  • Mathematics
  • Logical reasoning
  • Scientific analysis
  • Complex problem solving

Capability profile

speed
6
quality
8
coding
9
reasoning
10

Technical notes

Developer
Microsoft Research
License
MIT
Context window
32,768 tokens
Architecture
Transformer with reasoning-enhanced training

This model fits these next steps

Hardware fit is based on LocalClaw's RAM tier, model size and quantization metadata. Always leave memory headroom for your OS and runtime.

Starter desktopMac mini M4 16GBPortable fitMacBook Air M4 16GBBest 16GB models16GB RAM guide

Similar models to compare

DeepSeek R1 Distill (14B) 14BQwen 3 (14B) 14BPhi-4 (14B) 14B

Where to go next