How much VRAM do you realistically need to fine-tune small models on a laptop?

A user is asking the local AI community what VRAM is realistically required to fine-tune 1B to 7B parameter models on a laptop GPU, noting that most laptop GPUs offer 8GB and some newer ones 12GB, and questioning how far quantization and LoRA extend that capacity. The user also asks whether cloud training with the laptop reserved for inference and testing is the better approach, and requests real-world setups that have worked.

For people who run and fine-tune smaller models locally 1B to 7B range , what VRAM have you found to be the practical minimum on a laptop GPU? Most laptop GPUs I see listed have 8GB, and some newer ones have 12GB, and I’m not sure how far that goes with quantization and LoRA. Also, is it usually better to do the training in the cloud and just use the laptop for inference and testing? Would like to hear what setups have actually worked for you.