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Text model · Gemma

Gemma 3 1B: RAM and VRAM requirements

Gemma 3 1B needs about 1.8 GB to run at Q4_K_M (the Q4_K_M GGUF file is ~0.81 GB to download; KV cache and overhead add the rest), or about 2.1 GB at Q8_0. The lightest hardware that runs it is Apple M1 (8GB).

Gemma family · 1B params · released 2025-03-12 · 32.8M Ollama pulls.

Shopping for hardware? See what runs Gemma 3 1B →

License Gemma · Conditional ↓ 4.5M/mo ♥ 1.1K on HuggingFace
Q4_K_M GGUF
0.81 GB
Q8_0 GGUF
1.07 GB
Memory @ Q4 (4k)
~1.8 GB
Context
32 k

Q4_K_M and Q8_0 are GGUF download (file) sizes. Memory @ Q4 includes the KV cache and overhead, so it runs larger than the file on disk.

Will it run on your device?

Gemma 3 1B runs on 40 of 40 tracked devices at Q4_K_M.

40 run well 0 tight fit 0 too small
Fit check Q4_K_M
Yes, it runs fast
needs 1.8 GB usable 10.5 GB
See the full breakdown
$ollama run gemma3:1b

Memory breakdown

Weights (Q4_K_M)0.81 GB
+
KV cache (4k)0.2 GB
+
Overhead0.8 GB
=
Total1.8 GB

How context length changes it

4k context ~1.8 GB 32k context ~3.5 GB 128k context ~9.3 GB

Gemma 3 1B is small enough that the context window is the thing to size for: 128k needs ~9.3 GB versus ~1.8 GB at 4k, so pick the window you actually use.

Speed drops too: every token re-reads the KV cache, so at 128k context Gemma 3 1B generates at roughly ~10% of its short-context speed. How this is estimated.

Benchmark scores

BFCL · tool use

#19 of 19 ranked · Overall Acc on the Berkeley Function-Calling Leaderboard.

7.2%

Sourced third-party benchmarks for the full-precision Gemma 3 1B, not a specific quant. See the full leaderboard.

Quantization sizes

GGUF quantson disk
Quantization Size on disk
Q2_K 0.4 GB est
Q3_K_M 0.5 GB est
Q4_K_M (default) 0.81 GB
Q5_K_M 0.7 GB est
Q6_K 0.8 GB est
Q8_0 1.07 GB
FP16 2 GB est

Lower quant = smaller and faster, slightly lower quality. Q4_K_M is the common default.

Run it

Ollama
$ ollama run gemma3:1b
llama.cpp
$ llama-cli -hf bartowski/google_gemma-3-1b-it-GGUF:Q4_K_M
LM Studio
$ lms get bartowski/google_gemma-3-1b-it-GGUF

Which devices can run Gemma 3 1B?

Apple Silicon Macs

RAM-only laptops

iPhone & iPad

Android

NVIDIA GPUs

AMD GPUs

Same job, different size

Pick by what fits your memory: step down to free up VRAM, or step up if you have headroom.

Next size down LFM2 700M 742M Next size up TinyLlama 1.1B 1.1B

Similar models

Head-to-head

FAQ

How much VRAM or RAM does Gemma 3 1B need?

At Q4_K_M, Gemma 3 1B needs about 1.8 GB (weights ~0.81 GB + KV cache + overhead) at a 4k context. At Q8_0 budget ~2.1 GB.

What is the Q4_K_M GGUF file size of Gemma 3 1B?

The Q4_K_M GGUF file is about 0.81 GB to download, and the Q8_0 GGUF is about 1.07 GB. That is the weights file on disk; to run it you also need room for the KV cache and overhead, so budget ~1.8 GB of memory at Q4_K_M.

Can Gemma 3 1B run on a laptop?

Yes, Gemma 3 1B fits on a 16 GB machine at Q4_K_M and runs on Apple Silicon or a 12 GB+ GPU comfortably.

Can I use Gemma 3 1B commercially?

Conditionally. Gemma Terms of Use apply to commercial use.

Understand the numbers

Short guides to the ideas behind Gemma 3 1B's memory and quant figures.

Google's ultra-small Gemma 3 model. 32K context, multilingual support, strong reasoning for 1B scale. Designed to run on a single GPU or phone-class hardware.

Sources

Last validated 2026-08-03. Memory figures are estimates. See methodology.