Can Granite Code 34B run on RTX 3080 Ti 12GB?

Q: What should I upgrade first if Granite Code 34B feels slow on RTX 3080 Ti 12GB?

Add more VRAM headroom. The first useful upgrade is more dedicated VRAM so you can fit the model without shrinking context or dropping to a much lower quant.

NO — Won't Fit

F0Won't run

Estimated from fit model

Granite Code 34B needs ~26.8 GB but RTX 3080 Ti 12GB only has 12.0 GB. Try a smaller quantization or lighter model.

Runtime: OllamaCapacity: No fitBandwidth: HighStack: BasicBottleneck: Memory capacity

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) — 26.8 GB, exceeds 12.0 GB available

26.8 GB required12.0 GB available

223% VRAM needed

14.8 GB over capacity — needs offload or smaller quantization

Fit status

Too heavy

Decode

5.3 tok/s

TTFT

36613 ms

Safe context

Memory

26.8 GB / 12.0 GB

Offload

60%

Memory breakdown

Weights20.7 GB

KV Cache3.7 GB

Runtime1.2 GB

Headroom1.2 GB

See how fast it feels

With memory offload — actual speed may be lower

See how fast it feelsGranite Code 34B on RTX 3080 Ti 12GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Write a Python function to sort a list
Here's a Python function that sorts a list using quicksort:

def quicksort(arr):
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left   = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right  = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

# Example usage
numbers = [3, 6, 8, 10, 1, 2, 1]
print(quicksort(numbers))  # [1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10]

The algorithm picks a pivot, partitions the list into smaller, equal, and larger elements, then recursively sorts each partition and concatenates the results.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>Now add type hints and a docstring
def quicksort(arr: list[int]) -> list[int]:
    """Sort a list using the quicksort algorithm.

    Args:
        arr: List of integers to sort.

    Returns:
        A new sorted list.
    """
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left   = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right  = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

Added type hints for the input and return type, plus a Google-style docstring.
Estimated: 5.3 tok/s decode · 36.6s TTFT (warm) · 13 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

Usable VRAM is the main blocker for this model.

Not enough usable memory

The model needs 26.8 GB, but this setup only exposes 12.0 GB of usable VRAM.

Best improvement path

Add more VRAM headroom

The first useful upgrade is more dedicated VRAM so you can fit the model without shrinking context or dropping to a much lower quant.

Performance by workload

Workload	Grade	Fit	Decode	TTFT	Context
Chat	F	Too heavy	5.7 tok/s	18679 ms	4K
Coding	F	Too heavy	5.3 tok/s	36613 ms	4K
Agentic Coding	F	Too heavy	5.3 tok/s	53255 ms	4K
Reasoning	F	Too heavy	5.3 tok/s	43270 ms	4K
RAG	F	Too heavy	5.3 tok/s	66569 ms	4K

Quantization options

How Granite Code 34B (34B params) fits at each quantization level on RTX 3080 Ti 12GB (12.0 GB usable).

Quant	Bits	VRAM	Quality	Fit
Q2_K	2	13.3 GB	Low	F0
Q3_K_S	3	16.7 GB	Low	F0
NVFP4	4

Upgrade options

Hardware that runs Granite Code 34B well

RTX 3090 24GBBest value

24 GB VRAM (+12)936 GB/s (+24)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.18.6 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Raises estimated decode speed by about 251%.

~$1,499 MSRP

RTX 4090 24GBNVIDIA upgrade

24 GB VRAM (+12)1008 GB/s (+96)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.21.7 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Raises estimated decode speed by about 309%.

~$1,599 MSRP

RTX 5090 32GBBudget pick

32 GB VRAM (+20)1792 GB/s (+880)

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.62.7 tok/s decode

Makes the model fit on the accelerator instead of staying completely out of reach.

Removes host-memory offload, which is usually the single biggest latency and throughput win.

~$1,999 MSRP

Frequently asked questions

Can RTX 3080 Ti 12GB run Granite Code 34B?

No, Granite Code 34B requires more memory than RTX 3080 Ti 12GB provides.

How much VRAM does Granite Code 34B need?

Granite Code 34B (34B parameters) requires approximately 26.8 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Granite Code 34B?

The recommended quantization for Granite Code 34B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Granite Code 34B run at on RTX 3080 Ti 12GB?

On RTX 3080 Ti 12GB, Granite Code 34B achieves approximately 5.3 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 36613ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can RTX 3080 Ti 12GB run Granite Code 34B for coding?

For coding workloads, Granite Code 34B on RTX 3080 Ti 12GB receives a F grade with 5.3 tok/s and 4K context.

What context window can Granite Code 34B use on RTX 3080 Ti 12GB?

On RTX 3080 Ti 12GB, Granite Code 34B can safely use up to 4K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 8K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Granite Code 34B feels slow on RTX 3080 Ti 12GB?

See all results for RTX 3080 Ti 12GB See all hardware for Granite Code 34B

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