16 GB VRAM (+5)
C
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.36.8 tok/s decode
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$449 MSRP
Can gemma 3 12b it run on GTX 1080 Ti 11GB?
YES — With Offload
C51Usable
○Estimated from fit model
gemma 3 12b it needs ~10.7 GB VRAM. GTX 1080 Ti 11GB has 11.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~39 tok/s.
Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: OffloadBandwidth: MediumStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced
Share:
Operating mode
Choose the run profile you care about
Interactive favors responsiveness, while light API and scale-out lean harder on serving readiness. The fit stays the same, but the recommendation lens changes.
Current mode
Balanced
Balanced for general local use. Keeps the ranking neutral across personal and serving workflows.
Select quantization to explore
Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 10.7 GB, 39.0 tok/s, Runs with offload
10.7 GB required11.0 GB available
97% VRAM used
Fit status
Runs with offload
Decode
39.0 tok/s
TTFT
4963 ms
Safe context
19K
Memory
10.7 GB / 11.0 GB
Memory breakdown
Weights7.3 GB
KV Cache1.4 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom1.1 GB
See how fast it feels
See how fast it feelsgemma 3 12b it on GTX 1080 Ti 11GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>What is local AI inference?
Local AI inference means running an AI language model directly on your own hardware — your laptop, desktop, or server — instead of sending requests to a remote cloud API.
When you run inference locally the model weights are loaded into your GPU or unified memory. Each token you generate requires reading those weights from memory, so memory bandwidth is the main bottleneck for decode speed.
Key benefits of running locally:
- Full privacy: your prompts never leave your machine
- No per-token cost or rate limits
- Works offline once the model is downloaded
- Latency depends only on your hardware
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>How much VRAM do I need?
It depends on the model size and quantization level. A rough rule of thumb:
Model size Q4 (4-bit) Q8 (8-bit) FP16
7B params ~4.3 GB ~7.5 GB ~14 GB
13B params ~7.9 GB ~13.9 GB ~26 GB
70B params ~42.7 GB ~74.9 GB ~140 GB
Most people use 4-bit quantization (Q4_K_M) which gives 90-95% of full quality at a fraction of the memory. A 24 GB GPU can comfortably run most 7B-13B models.
Estimated: 39.0 tok/s decode · 5.0s TTFT (warm) · 98 tok/s prefill
What limits this setup
This setup is broadly balanced for this model.
Very little memory headroom
You can run the model, but there is not much room left for longer context, bigger batches, extra apps, or future model updates.
Older PCIe generation
PCIe 3.0 is workable, but it compounds the penalty when you offload heavily or try to scale across multiple cards.
Best improvement path
Buy headroom, not only minimum fit
A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.
Performance by workload
| Workload | Grade | Fit | Decode | TTFT | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | C | Tight fit | 39.0 tok/s | 2707 ms | 19K |
| Coding | C | Runs with offload | 39.0 tok/s | 4963 ms | 19K |
| Agentic Coding | D | Very compromised | 22.9 tok/s | 12272 ms | 19K |
| Reasoning | C | Runs with offload | 39.0 tok/s | 5865 ms | 19K |
| RAG | D | Very compromised | 22.9 tok/s | 15341 ms | 19K |
Quantization options
How gemma 3 12b it (12B params) fits at each quantization level on GTX 1080 Ti 11GB (11.0 GB usable).
| Quant | Bits | VRAM | Quality | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2_K | 2 | 4.7 GB | Low | C53 |
Q3_K_S | 3 | 5.9 GB | Low | C52 |
NVFP4 | 4 |
Get started
Copy-paste commands to run gemma 3 12b it on your machine.
Run
lms load hf-maziyarpanahi--gemma-3-12b-it-gguf && lms server startUpgrade options
Hardware that runs gemma 3 12b it well
16 GB VRAM (+5)
C
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.30.2 tok/s decode
Adds memory headroom for longer context windows and future model growth.
~$499 MSRP
12 GB VRAM (+1)672 GB/s (+188)
C
Raises estimated decode speed by about 44%.56.1 tok/s decode
Raises estimated decode speed by about 44%.
~$549 MSRP