Can You Run Gemma 4 on a CPU-Only PC (16GB RAM)?
Yes — best fit is Gemma 4 E4B at Q4_0 (4-bit) (~5GB) ✅ Comfortable, using 8GB of usable memory on a 16GB CPU-Only PC.
Every Gemma 4 model on this configuration
| Model | Best quant | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemma 4 E2B | SFP8 (8-bit) | ~4 GB | ✅ Comfortable |
| Gemma 4 E4B | Q4_0 (4-bit) | ~5 GB | ✅ Comfortable |
| Gemma 4 12B | Q4_0 (4-bit) | ~6.7 GB | ⚠️ Tight |
| Gemma 4 26B A4B | — | — | ❌ Won't fit |
| Gemma 4 31B | — | — | ❌ Won't fit |
How we got this verdict
16 ÷ 2 = 8GB usable (the RAM-÷-2 rule: one copy of the weights, one copy for working memory).
E4B lands on Q4_0 here, so grab the official QAT (quantization-aware training) checkpoint instead of a generic Q4_0 quant. Google shipped a full-quality QAT build for E4B at essentially the same ~6.1GB download size, with noticeably better output quality than a naive 4-bit quant. See the QAT guide for exact file names.
Going up to 32GB (32GB RAM) unlocks 12B at Q4_0 (4-bit) — a step up from E4B here. One tier down, at 8GB RAM, the best fit drops to E2B (comfortable) instead.
Adding a discrete NVIDIA GPU is usually a bigger lever than more system RAM — it unlocks GPU offload and much faster tokens/sec, on top of whatever the RAM ÷ 2 rule already gives you here. See the GPU pages if a card is on the table.
Try a different configuration
Best fit: Gemma 4 E4B · Q4_0 (4-bit) · ~5 GB ✅ Comfortable
FAQ
Can a CPU-Only PC (16GB RAM) run the 31B flagship model?
No — the 31B model needs at least 17.4GB usable memory even at Q4_0, and this configuration only has 8GB usable. Gemma 4 E4B is the largest model that fits here.
What's the best Gemma 4 model for a CPU-Only PC (16GB RAM)?
Gemma 4 E4B at Q4_0 (4-bit) (~5GB) is the best fit — it's the largest model that runs comfortably within the 8GB of usable memory here.
What if I have more or less memory than 16GB RAM?
With more (e.g. 32GB), you can run larger models or the same model more comfortably — see the CPU-Only PC page. With less (e.g. 8GB), the best-fitting model gets smaller or tighter — see the CPU-Only PC page.
Related
Gemma 4 CPU-Only Setup
The full setup guide for this device family.
Can You Run Gemma 4 on a CPU-Only PC (8GB RAM)?
CPU-Only PC — 8GB RAM
Can You Run Gemma 4 on a CPU-Only PC (32GB RAM)?
CPU-Only PC — 32GB RAM
Gemma 4 Hardware Requirements
The full memory table this checker is built on.
Full Hardware Checker
Every device type, every model, one tool.