Can the RTX 3050 run Gemma 3 12B?
No. Gemma 3 12B needs about 10 GB and the RTX 3050 has at most 8 GB of VRAM. Ollama can still start it by putting part of the model in system RAM, but it runs several times slower. The most capable model it runs well is Qwen3 8B, at about 24 tok/s.
Gemma 3 12B needsAbout 10 GB
RTX 3050 has6 or 8 GB VRAM
Bandwidth224 GB/s
Estimated speedDoesn't fit
By memory size
Each RTX 3050 version
- 6 GBToo big
- 8 GBToo big
What runs Gemma 3 12B
These cards have the memory for it, nearest to the RTX 3050 first. The cheapest build on our list that runs it well is the Used desktop + RTX 3060 12 GB, from $600 used, at about 24 tok/s.
How we estimate
Speed is roughly memory bandwidth divided by the weights read per token, calibrated on our own rack. Sizes are Ollama's default 4-bit downloads plus about 1.2 GB for context. Real results are usually within about a third. Measured it yourself? Send us the number.
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