# Can I run Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 3080? | What Can I Run AI?

> Yes, but it is tight. Gemma 3 12B at Q4_K_M needs about 9.5 GB; RTX 3080 has 10.0 GB usable. Estimated tokens/sec and context headroom.

Source: https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-3-12b-it/rtx-3080-10gb/

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**Yes, but it is tight.** Gemma 3 12B at Q4\_K\_M needs about 9.5 GB, and the GeForce RTX 3080 10GB has 10.0 GB usable at a \~4k context.

# Can I run Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 3080?

Gemma 3 12B at Q4\_K\_M needs about 9.5 GB, and the GeForce RTX 3080 10GB has 10.0 GB usable. That figure is 10 GB of VRAM on the spec sheet, of which 10.0 GB is usable for weights and cache, at 760 GB/s memory bandwidth. Google’s mid-small Gemma 3, sized for 12–16 GB cards that want more than a 4B or 8B. These are estimates from [our formula](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/method/), not measured benchmarks.

Quant that fits

Q4\_K\_M Fits, short context only

Memory needed

9.5 GB at Q4\_K\_M, \~4k context

Usable VRAM

10.0 GB of 10 GB VRAM

Est. tokens/sec

62–87 estimate

[gemma-3-12b-it](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/models/gemma-3-12b-it/) · [GeForce RTX 3080 10GB](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/hardware/rtx-3080-10gb/) · [Everything this machine runs](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/what-can-i-run/rtx-3080-10gb/) · [Q4 vs Q8 vs FP16](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/quantization/)

## Memory at each quant

| Quant    | Need vs 10.0 GB | Verdict       |
| -------- | --------------- | ------------- |
| Q4\_K\_M | 9.5 GB          | Q4Tight       |
| Q8\_0    | 15.9 GB         | Q8Won’t fit   |
| FP16     | 29.0 GB         | FP16Won’t fit |

## Estimated tokens per second

Estimate: **62–87 tokens/sec** at Q4\_K\_M. This is a bandwidth-derived range, not a bench. Efficiency is a 60–85% GPU band from [How we calculate](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/method/).

## Context headroom

We do not have a published KV config for this model, so the memory need is the \~4k-context estimate only. Use the [VRAM calculator](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/vram-calculator/) to explore longer chats.

## What to do instead

* Run [Qwen3-8B](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/qwen3-8b/rtx-3080-10gb/) instead (6.7 GB at Q4). It is a different model, not a drop-in, but it does fit this machine.
* Q8\_0 needs 15.9 GB and does not fit here. The [GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/hardware/rtx-4060-ti-16gb/) has 16.0 GB usable, enough for Q8.
* See the [best GPU for this model family](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/best-gpu-for/gemma-3/) and the [gemma-3-12b-it model page](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/models/gemma-3-12b-it/).

## Other hardware for Gemma 3 12B

* [Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 3060 12GB](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-3-12b-it/rtx-3060-12gb/)Fits
* [Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 3070 Ti](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-3-12b-it/rtx-3070-ti/)Won’t fit
* [Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 4060 Ti 16GB](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-3-12b-it/rtx-4060-ti-16gb/)Tight
* [Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 4070 Ti Super](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-3-12b-it/rtx-4070-ti-super/)Tight
* [Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 4090](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-3-12b-it/rtx-4090/)Fits
* [Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 5070 Ti](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-3-12b-it/rtx-5070-ti/)Tight

## Other models on an RTX 3080

* [Qwen3-32B on an RTX 3080](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/qwen3-32b/rtx-3080-10gb/)Won’t fit
* [Qwen3-30B-A3B on an RTX 3080](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/qwen3-30b-a3b/rtx-3080-10gb/)Won’t fit
* [Qwen3.8-27B on an RTX 3080](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/qwen3.8-27b/rtx-3080-10gb/)Won’t fit
* [Gemma 3 27B on an RTX 3080](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-3-27b-it/rtx-3080-10gb/)Won’t fit
* [Gemma 4 31B on an RTX 3080](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gemma-4-31b-it/rtx-3080-10gb/)Won’t fit
* [gpt-oss-20b on an RTX 3080](https://whatcanirunai.vercel.app/can-i-run/gpt-oss-20b/rtx-3080-10gb/)Won’t fit

## Quick answers

Can I run Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 3080?

Yes, but it is tight. Gemma 3 12B at Q4\_K\_M needs about 9.5 GB, and the GeForce RTX 3080 10GB has 10.0 GB usable.

How much VRAM does Gemma 3 12B need?

About 9.5 GB at Q4\_K\_M, 15.9 GB at Q8\_0 and 29.0 GB at FP16, estimated for a \~4k context.

How fast is Gemma 3 12B on an RTX 3080?

Our estimate is 62–87 tokens per second at Q4\_K\_M. It is not a measured benchmark.

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