Can Gemma 3 4B run on GTX 1060 6GB?

YES — With Offload

A72Great

Estimated from fit model

Gemma 3 4B needs ~6.3 GB VRAM. GTX 1060 6GB has 6.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~32 tok/s.

Runtime: OllamaCapacity: OffloadBandwidth: Very lowStack: BasicBottleneck: Memory bandwidth

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.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 6.3 GB, 31.8 tok/s, Runs with offload (needs ~0.1 GB host RAM)

6.3 GB required6.0 GB available

105% VRAM needed

0.3 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Runs with offload (needs ~0.1 GB host RAM)

Decode

31.8 tok/s

TTFT

6093 ms

Safe context

14K

Memory

6.3 GB / 6.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights2.4 GB

KV Cache2.1 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom0.6 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGemma 3 4B on GTX 1060 6GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step.

Given information:
  - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour)
  - Time  = 2.5 hours

Formula: Distance = Speed x Time

Calculation:
  Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h
           = 150 miles

The train travels 150 miles.

Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time.

Breakdown:
  - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles
  - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance)
  - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles

Total distance: 150 miles (same)
Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours
Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph

The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 31.8 tok/s decode · 6.1s TTFT (warm) · 79 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	A	Tight fit	46.4 tok/s	2275 ms	14K
Coding	A	Runs with offload (needs ~0.1 GB host RAM)	31.8 tok/s	6093 ms	14K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	17.0 tok/s	16539 ms	14K
Reasoning	A	Runs with offload (needs ~0.1 GB host RAM)	31.8 tok/s	7200 ms	14K
RAG	F	Too heavy	17.0 tok/s	20674 ms

Quantization options

How Gemma 3 4B (4B params) fits at each quantization level on GTX 1060 6GB (6.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	1.6 GB	Low	A75
Q3_K_S	3	2.0 GB	Low	A76
NVFP4	4

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Gemma 3 4B on your machine.

Run

ollama run gemma3:4b

Your hardware

More models your GTX 1060 6GB can run

Model	Params	Grade	Decode
Qwen 2.5 VL 7B	7B	B	15.3 tok/s
Qwen 2.5 7B	7B	B	15.3 tok/s

Frequently asked questions

Can GTX 1060 6GB run Gemma 3 4B?

Yes, GTX 1060 6GB can run Gemma 3 4B with a A grade (Runs with offload (needs ~0.1 GB host RAM)). Expected decode speed: 31.8 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Gemma 3 4B need?

Gemma 3 4B (4B parameters) requires approximately 6.3 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Gemma 3 4B?

The recommended quantization for Gemma 3 4B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Gemma 3 4B run at on GTX 1060 6GB?

On GTX 1060 6GB, Gemma 3 4B achieves approximately 31.8 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 6093ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can GTX 1060 6GB run Gemma 3 4B for coding?

For coding workloads, Gemma 3 4B on GTX 1060 6GB receives a A grade with 31.8 tok/s and 14K context.

What context window can Gemma 3 4B use on GTX 1060 6GB?

On GTX 1060 6GB, Gemma 3 4B can safely use up to 14K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Gemma 3 4B feels slow on GTX 1060 6GB?

Buy headroom, not only minimum fit. A slightly larger memory tier gives you safer context growth and makes the recommendation more future-proof.

See all results for GTX 1060 6GB See all hardware for Gemma 3 4B

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