Can You Run Gemma 4 on an RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (16GB VRAM)?
Yes — best fit is Gemma 4 12B at Q4_0 (4-bit) (~6.7GB) ✅ Comfortable, using 15GB of usable memory on a 16GB RTX 4070 Ti SUPER.
Every Gemma 4 model on this configuration
| Model | Best quant | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemma 4 E2B | BF16 (16-bit) | ~8 GB | ✅ Comfortable |
| Gemma 4 E4B | SFP8 (8-bit) | ~7.5 GB | ✅ Comfortable |
| Gemma 4 12B | Q4_0 (4-bit) | ~6.7 GB | ✅ Comfortable |
| Gemma 4 26B A4B | — | — | ❌ Won't fit |
| Gemma 4 31B | — | — | ❌ Won't fit |
How we got this verdict
16 - 1 = 15GB usable VRAM (the driver and OS reserve roughly 1 GB).
12B 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 12B at essentially the same ~7.2GB download size, with noticeably better output quality than a naive 4-bit quant. See the QAT guide for exact file names.
Switching to the RTX 4080 (16GB VRAM) doesn't change the top recommendation — 12B is still the best fit, just with more headroom.
The fastest lever on a fixed budget isn't more VRAM on the same card — it's switching cards. Compare this tier against neighboring cards below, or check the full checker for any GPU model.
Real-world notes for this configuration
The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER exists specifically because of VRAM backlash: the original RTX 4070 Ti launched at 12GB, drew criticism for being VRAM-constrained for its price tier, and NVIDIA's January 2024 SUPER refresh answered that directly with a 16GB, 256-bit-bus version — 4GB more capacity and a wider bus than the card it effectively replaced in the lineup.
- ⚠If you're comparing prices against a plain (non-SUPER) RTX 4070 Ti, note that's a different, lower-VRAM card (12GB, 192-bit) despite the near-identical name — make sure any comparison you're reading online is specifically about the SUPER.
Try a different configuration
Best fit: Gemma 4 12B · Q4_0 (4-bit) · ~6.7 GB ✅ Comfortable
FAQ
Can a RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (16GB VRAM) 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 15GB usable. Gemma 4 12B is the largest model that fits here.
What's the best Gemma 4 model for a RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (16GB VRAM)?
Gemma 4 12B at Q4_0 (4-bit) (~6.7GB) is the best fit — it's the largest model that runs comfortably within the 15GB of usable memory here.
What if I have more or less memory than 16GB VRAM?
With more (e.g. RTX 4080), you can run larger models or the same model more comfortably — see the RTX 4080 page. With less (e.g. RTX 4060 Ti), the best-fitting model gets smaller or tighter — see the RTX 4060 Ti page.
Why does the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER have more VRAM than the plain RTX 4070 Ti?
NVIDIA specifically increased memory on the SUPER refresh (16GB vs 12GB) and widened the bus (256-bit vs 192-bit) in direct response to criticism that the original 4070 Ti was VRAM-constrained for its price — one of the clearer cases of a mid-cycle refresh targeting a capacity complaint.
Is the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER a good value pick for local AI compared to the RTX 4080?
Both share the same 16GB capacity and 256-bit bus in this generation, so for pure capacity they're tied — the 4080 has more compute cores, which matters for speed on models that already fit either card.
Related
Gemma 4 on RTX 3070/3080
The full setup guide for this device family.
Can You Run Gemma 4 on an RTX 4060 Ti (16GB VRAM)?
NVIDIA GPU — 16GB VRAM
Can You Run Gemma 4 on an RTX 4080 (16GB VRAM)?
NVIDIA GPU — 16GB VRAM
Gemma 4 Hardware Requirements
The full memory table this checker is built on.
Full Hardware Checker
Every device type, every model, one tool.