Can the GeForce RTX 5060 run Gemma 3 12B IT?
Only with CPU offload at Q4_K_M.
Gemma 3 12B IT is 12.2B parameters. At Q4_K_M the weights are about 6.8 GiB; with the 1.5 GiB runtime reserve that is 8.3 GiB against the card's 8GB, about 0.3 GiB more than the card has.
All three quants
8GB card| Quant | Weights | With reserve | Verdict | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4_K_Mthe everyday quant | 6.8 GiB | 8.3 GiB | Only with CPU offload | short 0.3 GiB |
| Q8_0near-lossless | 12.0 GiB | 13.5 GiB | Only with CPU offload | short 5.5 GiB |
| FP16full weights | 22.7 GiB | 24.2 GiB | Does not fit | short 16.2 GiB |
Verdict rules: fits comfortably when weights plus reserve sit within 85% of VRAM; tight when they fit with little left for context; CPU offload when they exceed VRAM by up to 2x (runs, slowly, with layers in system RAM); no beyond that. The KV cache per token depends on the model's architecture and is not modelled here.
The numbers for this pairing
At Q4_K_M the weights take about 6.8 GiB, so with the 1.5 GiB runtime reserve it needs 8.3 GB: 0.3 GB more than the card's 8 GB.
No version of it fits entirely in this card's memory, so it would lean on system RAM and run far slower.
The cheapest card on our list that runs it comfortably at Q4 is the Arc B570 at about $260, against about $410 for this card.
At about $410, this card costs roughly $51 per GB of VRAM.
Running it at its full 145 W board power for 4 hours a day would use about 17 kWh a month, about $3.20 at the US average residential rate of 18.4 cents per kWh (2026-05); real use sits below that ceiling.
Prices are the lowest current listings our tracker saw on Oct 7, 2026, since averages include premium variants; launch prices are marked where we have no listing.
Not this card. These fit it comfortably at Q4.
- GeForce RTX 5090 32GB · headroom 23.7 GiB
- GeForce RTX 3090 (used) 24GB · headroom 15.7 GiB
- GeForce RTX 4090 (used) 24GB · headroom 15.7 GiB
- Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB · headroom 15.7 GiB
What the GeForce RTX 5060 does run well → · Gemma 3 12B IT on every card →
About the model
Gemma 3 12B IT by Google: 131,072-token native context, text + vision, released 2025 under the Gemma Terms of Use. Model card → · Hosted pricing on PicksByModel →