This guide provides instructions for running Chatterbox TTS Server with CUDA 12.8 and PyTorch 2.8.0, which includes support for the new RTX 5090 and Blackwell architecture (sm_120) GPUs.
Use the CUDA 12.8 configuration if you have:
- NVIDIA RTX 5090 or other Blackwell-based GPUs
- CUDA compute capability sm_120 or newer
- CUDA 12.8+ drivers installed on your system (driver version 570+)
For older GPUs (RTX 20/30/40 series), continue using the standard NVIDIA configuration with CUDA 12.1.
The easiest way to install with CUDA 12.8 support is using the automated launcher:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/devnen/Chatterbox-TTS-Server.git
cd Chatterbox-TTS-Server
# Run the launcher (double-click or run from command prompt)
start.batWhen the installation menu appears, select option [3] NVIDIA GPU (CUDA 12.8).
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/devnen/Chatterbox-TTS-Server.git
cd Chatterbox-TTS-Server
# Make the launcher executable and run it
chmod +x start.sh
./start.shWhen the installation menu appears, select option [3] NVIDIA GPU (CUDA 12.8).
You can skip the menu by specifying the installation type directly:
# Windows
python start.py --nvidia-cu128
# Linux
python3 start.py --nvidia-cu128For containerized deployment with CUDA 12.8 support:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/devnen/Chatterbox-TTS-Server.git
cd Chatterbox-TTS-Server
# Build and start the CUDA 12.8 container
docker compose -f docker-compose-cu128.yml up -d
# View logs to confirm GPU is detected
docker logs chatterbox-tts-server-cu128
# Access the web UI at http://localhost:8004# Build the image
docker build -f Dockerfile.cu128 -t chatterbox-tts-server:cu128 .
# Run the container
docker run -d \
--name chatterbox-tts-cu128 \
--gpus all \
-p 8004:8004 \
-v $(pwd)/model_cache:/app/model_cache \
-v $(pwd)/outputs:/app/outputs \
-v $(pwd)/voices:/app/voices \
-v ~/.cache/huggingface:/app/hf_cache \
chatterbox-tts-server:cu128If you prefer to install manually without using the launcher:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/devnen/Chatterbox-TTS-Server.git
cd Chatterbox-TTS-Server
# Create and activate virtual environment
python -m venv venv
# Windows
.\venv\Scripts\activate
# Linux/macOS
source venv/bin/activate
# Upgrade pip
pip install --upgrade pip
# Install dependencies (PyTorch 2.8.0 + other requirements)
pip install -r requirements-nvidia-cu128.txt
# IMPORTANT: Install Chatterbox separately with --no-deps
# This prevents PyTorch from being downgraded
pip install --no-deps git+https://github.com/devnen/chatterbox-v2.git@master
# Start the server
python server.py--no-deps flag is critical for CUDA 12.8 installations. Without it, installing Chatterbox would downgrade PyTorch to an older version that doesn't support Blackwell GPUs.
After installation, verify that PyTorch recognizes your RTX 5090:
# If using the launcher, the verification is automatic
# For manual verification, run:
python -c "import torch; print(f'PyTorch: {torch.__version__}'); print(f'CUDA Available: {torch.cuda.is_available()}'); print(f'GPU: {torch.cuda.get_device_name(0)}'); print(f'Supported Architectures: {torch.cuda.get_arch_list()}')"Expected output should include:
PyTorch: 2.8.0+cu128
CUDA Available: True
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
Supported Architectures: ['sm_70', 'sm_75', 'sm_80', 'sm_86', 'sm_90', 'sm_100', 'sm_120']
Look for sm_120 in the supported architectures list - this confirms Blackwell support.
The CUDA 12.8 configuration differs from the standard CUDA 12.1 setup:
| Aspect | CUDA 12.1 (Standard) | CUDA 12.8 (Blackwell) |
|---|---|---|
| PyTorch Version | 2.5.1 | 2.8.0 |
| CUDA Version | 12.1 | 12.8 |
| Blackwell Support | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (sm_120) |
| Requirements File | requirements-nvidia.txt | requirements-nvidia-cu128.txt |
| Chatterbox Install | Included in requirements | Separate with --no-deps |
| Driver Requirement | 525+ | 570+ |
- Operating System: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) or Linux
- Python: 3.10 or later
- CUDA Drivers: Version 570+ (supports CUDA 12.8)
- GPU: RTX 5090 or other Blackwell-based GPU
- VRAM: 8GB+ recommended
nvidia-smiLook for "CUDA Version" in the output - it should show 12.8 or higher.
The driver version should be 570 or higher for CUDA 12.8 support.
This error means PyTorch doesn't support your GPU's compute capability. This typically happens when:
-
Wrong PyTorch version installed - Verify PyTorch version:
python -c "import torch; print(torch.__version__)"Should show
2.8.0+cu128or similar withcu128. -
PyTorch was downgraded - This can happen if Chatterbox was installed without
--no-deps. Reinstall:# Using launcher python start.py --reinstall --nvidia-cu128 # Or manually pip install torch==2.8.0 torchvision==0.23.0 torchaudio==2.8.0 --index-url https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cu128 pip install --no-deps git+https://github.com/devnen/chatterbox-v2.git@master
-
Check supported architectures:
python -c "import torch; print(torch.cuda.get_arch_list())"Should include
sm_120for Blackwell support.
Check the server logs for device information:
Using device: cuda(confirms GPU mode)TTS Model loaded successfully on cuda(confirms successful GPU loading)
If you see CPU usage instead:
-
Verify CUDA is available:
python -c "import torch; print(torch.cuda.is_available())" -
Check GPU is visible:
python -c "import torch; print(torch.cuda.device_count())" -
Verify driver installation:
nvidia-smi
If the launcher reports verification issues:
-
Run with verbose mode:
python start.py --reinstall --nvidia-cu128 --verbose
-
Check for import errors manually:
# Activate venv first python -c "import torch; import fastapi; import chatterbox"
The first run downloads the Chatterbox model (~3GB). This is cached in the Hugging Face cache directory:
- Linux:
~/.cache/huggingface - Windows:
C:\Users\<username>\.cache\huggingface
Subsequent starts will be much faster.
| GPU Generation | Architecture | Compute Capability | Installation Option | PyTorch Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 / Blackwell | Blackwell | sm_120 | --nvidia-cu128 |
2.8.0+cu128 |
| RTX 4090 / Ada | Ada Lovelace | sm_89 | --nvidia |
2.5.1+cu121 |
| RTX 3090 / Ampere | Ampere | sm_86 | --nvidia |
2.5.1+cu121 |
| RTX 2080 / Turing | Turing | sm_75 | --nvidia |
2.5.1+cu121 |
- VRAM Usage: Expect ~8-10GB VRAM usage for the model
- Generation Speed: RTX 5090 provides significantly faster generation than previous generations
- First Generation: May be slower due to JIT compilation; subsequent generations are faster
- Batch Processing: Long texts are automatically chunked for optimal memory usage
To upgrade an existing CUDA 12.8 installation to the latest version:
# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main
# Upgrade dependencies
python start.py --upgradeOr for a clean reinstall:
python start.py --reinstall --nvidia-cu128python start.py --reinstall --nvidia-cu128python start.py --reinstall --nvidia# Stop current container
docker compose down
# Start CUDA 12.8 container
docker compose -f docker-compose-cu128.yml up -d# Stop CUDA 12.8 container
docker compose -f docker-compose-cu128.yml down
# Start standard container
docker compose up -d- PyTorch CUDA 12.8 Documentation
- NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit
- NVIDIA Driver Downloads
- Docker NVIDIA Container Toolkit
Found an issue with CUDA 12.8 support? Please open an issue or submit a pull request.