Full Fine-Tuning vs PEFT

Summary

Full fine-tuning updates every model weight (expensive, needs lots of GPU memory); Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning updates a small subset — PEFT is the practical default outside large labs.

• 1Compare the GPU memory and cost requirements of full fine-tuning vs. PEFT for a given model size.
• 2Learn why PEFT can match full fine-tuning quality on most task-specific use cases.
• 3Identify which approach makes sense for your hardware budget before starting a project.