Can the Radeon RX 9070 run Gemma 3 12B IT?
Fits comfortably 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 16GB, leaving about 7.7 GiB for context.
All three quants
16GB card| Quant | Weights | With reserve | Verdict | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4_K_Mthe everyday quant | 6.8 GiB | 8.3 GiB | Fits comfortably | 7.7 GiB |
| Q8_0near-lossless | 12.0 GiB | 13.5 GiB | Fits comfortably | 2.5 GiB |
| FP16full weights | 22.7 GiB | 24.2 GiB | Only with CPU offload | short 8.2 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; with the 1.5 GiB we set aside for the runtime that is 8.3 of the card's 16 GB, leaving about 7.7 GB for the context cache.
The highest-quality version that fits entirely in memory is Q8_0.
The cheapest card on our list that runs it comfortably at Q4 is the Arc B570 at about $260, against about $570 for this card.
At about $570, this card costs roughly $36 per GB of VRAM.
Running it at its full 220 W board power for 4 hours a day would use about 26 kWh a month, about $4.86 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.
Good match. Get the card.
The Radeon RX 9070 clears Gemma 3 12B IT at Q4_K_M and at Q8_0. Live listings below; this page was rebuilt 2026-10-07.
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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 →