Tight fit

Running Gemma 3 12B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB (Mobile)

Gemma 3 12B fits at Q8_0, but headroom is tight (0 GB). Reduce context or use a smaller quant for safety.

By Eruo Fredoline·Latest benchmark evidence Jun 2, 2026

Model size

12B params
Gemma 3 12B

Recommended quant

Q8_0
Highest quality that fits

Quick start with Ollama

1. Install
ollama pull gemma3:12b
2. Run
ollama run gemma3:12b

Default quant in Ollama is Q4_K_M. To use a different quant, append it: gemma3:12b-q5_K_M.

Variants and what fits

QuantizationFile sizeVRAM requiredFits on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB (Mobile)?
Q4_K_M7.3 GB10 GB
Yes
Q8_013.0 GB16 GB
Yes

Real benchmarks

ToolQuantContexttok/sVRAM usedDateEvidenceExport
Q4_K_M4,09643.3 tok/sJun 2, 2026Measured here
operator: fred-oline

Frequently asked

Can NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB (Mobile) run Gemma 3 12B?

Gemma 3 12B fits at Q8_0, but headroom is tight (0 GB). Reduce context or use a smaller quant for safety.

What quantization should I use?

Q8_0 is the highest-quality variant of Gemma 3 12B that fits in 16 GB VRAM. Lower-bit quants will be smaller but lose some quality.

How fast will it be?

Measured at 43.3 tok/s on this combination in our testing.

See also: Gemma 3 12B, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB (Mobile), all benchmarks.

Reviewed by RunLocalAI Editorial. See our editorial policy.