Can Gemma 3 4B run on NVIDIA L40 48GB?

YES — Runs Great

B67Good

Estimated from fit model

Gemma 3 4B needs ~10.2 GB VRAM. NVIDIA L40 48GB has 48.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~64 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: HighStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced

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) — 10.2 GB, 64.0 tok/s, Runs well

10.2 GB required48.0 GB available

21% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

64.0 tok/s

TTFT

3025 ms

Safe context

128K

Memory

10.2 GB / 48.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights2.4 GB

KV Cache2.1 GB

Runtime0.9 GB

Headroom4.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsGemma 3 4B on NVIDIA L40 48GB
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: 64.0 tok/s decode · 3.0s TTFT (warm) · 160 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

This setup is broadly balanced for this model.

No major red flags

This recommendation has enough memory headroom and acceptable estimated speed for the selected workload.

Best improvement path

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	B	Runs well	64.0 tok/s	1650 ms	128K
Coding	B	Runs well	64.0 tok/s	3025 ms	128K
Agentic Coding	B	Runs well	64.0 tok/s	4400 ms	128K
Reasoning	B	Runs well	64.0 tok/s	3575 ms	128K
RAG	B	Runs well	64.0 tok/s	5500 ms	128K

Quantization options

How Gemma 3 4B (4B params) fits at each quantization level on NVIDIA L40 48GB (48.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	1.6 GB	Low	B63
Q3_K_S	3	2.0 GB	Low	B63
NVFP4	4	2.2 GB	Medium	B63
Q4_K_M	4	2.4 GB	Medium	B63
Q5_K_M	5	2.9 GB	High	B63
Q6_K	6	3.3 GB	High	B63
Q8_0	8	4.3 GB	Very High	B63
F16Best for your GPU	16	8.2 GB	Maximum	B64

Get started

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

Run

ollama run gemma3:4b

Frequently asked questions

Can NVIDIA L40 48GB run Gemma 3 4B?

Yes, NVIDIA L40 48GB can run Gemma 3 4B with a B grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 64.0 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Gemma 3 4B need?

Gemma 3 4B (4B parameters) requires approximately 10.2 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 NVIDIA L40 48GB?

On NVIDIA L40 48GB, Gemma 3 4B achieves approximately 64.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 3025ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can NVIDIA L40 48GB run Gemma 3 4B for coding?

For coding workloads, Gemma 3 4B on NVIDIA L40 48GB receives a B grade with 64.0 tok/s and 128K context.

What context window can Gemma 3 4B use on NVIDIA L40 48GB?

On NVIDIA L40 48GB, Gemma 3 4B can safely use up to 128K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

See all results for NVIDIA L40 48GB See all hardware for Gemma 3 4B

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Preview:

Workload

Grade

Fit

Decode

TTFT

Context

Chat

Runs well

64.0 tok/s

1650 ms

128K

Coding

Runs well

64.0 tok/s

3025 ms

128K

Agentic Coding

Runs well

64.0 tok/s

4400 ms

128K

Reasoning

Runs well

64.0 tok/s

3575 ms

128K

RAG

Runs well

64.0 tok/s

5500 ms

128K

Quant

Bits

VRAM

Quality

Fit

Q2_K

1.6 GB

Low

B63

Q3_K_S

2.0 GB

Low

B63

NVFP4

2.2 GB

Medium

B63

Q4_K_M

2.4 GB

Medium

B63

Q5_K_M

2.9 GB

High

B63

Q6_K

3.3 GB

High

B63

Q8_0

4.3 GB

Very High

B63

F16Best for your GPU

8.2 GB

Maximum

B64

Frequently asked questions

Can NVIDIA L40 48GB run Gemma 3 4B?

Yes, NVIDIA L40 48GB can run Gemma 3 4B with a B grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 64.0 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Gemma 3 4B need?

Gemma 3 4B (4B parameters) requires approximately 10.2 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 NVIDIA L40 48GB?

On NVIDIA L40 48GB, Gemma 3 4B achieves approximately 64.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 3025ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can NVIDIA L40 48GB run Gemma 3 4B for coding?

For coding workloads, Gemma 3 4B on NVIDIA L40 48GB receives a B grade with 64.0 tok/s and 128K context.

What context window can Gemma 3 4B use on NVIDIA L40 48GB?

On NVIDIA L40 48GB, Gemma 3 4B can safely use up to 128K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.