Can you run Gemma 4 31B on RTX 5090?

Gemma 4 31B Q4_K_M on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090: verdict, VRAM math and estimated speed.

Yes, it runs
Quick answer

Yes, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 runs Gemma 4 31B. 20 GB weights at Q4_K_M vs 28.8 GB usable VRAM; ~46 tok/s est. (ModelFit, 2026).

$ollama run gemma4:31b
VERDICT
Comfortable
EST. SPEED
~46 tok/s
WEIGHTS
20 GB Q4_K_M

VRAM math and speed are ModelFit engine estimates, not measurements. Commands are registry-verified Ollama tags.

Cite this page: ModelFit, Gemma 4 31B on RTX 5090, https://modelfit.io/can-i-run/gemma4-31b-q4-on-rtx-5090/, updated September 2026, CC BY 4.0.

Last updated: September 24, 2026 · Editor: ModelFit Team

VRAM
32 GB (28.8 usable)
Model weights
20 GB Q4_K_M
Est. speed
~46 tok/s
First token
~1s
Fit grade
A · 31

What limits this combo

The four constraints the fit engine checks for Gemma 4 31B on the RTX 5090, in order of what usually breaks first.

Weights fitOK20 GB of weights against 28.8 GB usable, leaving 8.8 GB of headroom for context and the runtime.
Context ceilingOKWeights + KV cache stay in budget up to 32k tokens (28.0 GB total). Quantizing the KV cache to q8_0 roughly halves the KV column and pushes this further.
SpeedOK~46 tok/s (est.) on 1792 GB/s of memory bandwidth, comfortable for interactive chat and agentic loops.
Use-case ceilingTightStrongest fit: Chat (A). Agentic coding caps at C, either the speed floor or the model's tuning is the limit; see the workload table for the per-case reason.

Where the RTX 5090 sits for Gemma 4 31B

On the RTX 5090, Gemma 4 31B runs with room to spare (~46 tok/s est.). The cheapest card that also runs it comfortably is the RTX 3090 (24 GB, ~28 tok/s est.). Context ceiling on this card: 32k; on the RTX 3090: none.

CardVRAMUsableVerdictEst. speedMax context
RTX 40608 GB7.2 GBNo~1 tok/snone
RTX 306012 GB10.8 GBNo~1 tok/snone
RTX 407012 GB10.8 GBNo~2 tok/snone
RTX 4060 Ti16 GB14.4 GBTight~2 tok/snone
RTX 5070 Ti16 GB14.4 GBTight~6 tok/snone
RTX 4070 Ti SUPER16 GB14.4 GBTight~5 tok/snone
RTX 508016 GB14.4 GBTight~6 tok/snone
RTX 309024 GB21.6 GBYes~28 tok/snone
RTX 409024 GB21.6 GBYes~33 tok/snone
RTX 5090 (this card)32 GB28.8 GBYes~46 tok/s32k

Same engine as the verdict above: 90% of VRAM usable, KV-cache at fp16, bandwidth-derived tok/s. Verdicts of the other cards are computed for Gemma 4 31B Q4_K_M exactly.

Quant explorer

Switch between the quality-gated builds tracked for this exact combo. Q4_K_M stays the default recommendation; heavier Q6/Q8 builds only appear when their exact Ollama tags are registry-verified.

ModelFit engine estimate
Verdict
Runs
Est. speed
~46 tok/s
First token
~1.0s · Instant
Safe context
32k
A · 31 Excellent headroom

Why no 2-bit builds: Q1/Q2-class quants can look attractive in a memory table, but their quality loss is large enough that ModelFit excludes them from rankings instead of inflating the catalog with junk options. Usable VRAM: 28.8 GB.

Workload verdicts

Gemma 4 31B on the RTX 5090, graded per use case from the model's registry-verified tuning and the engine's speed estimate for this exact combo.

ModelFit engine estimate
ChatA~46 tok/s est. vs ~20 needed for chat.
CodingA~46 tok/s est. vs ~15 needed for coding.
Agentic codingC~46 tok/s est. vs ~30 needed for agentic coding; not tuned for tool-calling loops.
ReasoningC~46 tok/s est. vs ~12 needed for reasoning; not a reasoning-tuned model.
RAGA~46 tok/s est. vs ~20 needed for rag.

Grades combine tag-verified tuning (a model not built for the workload caps at C) with the tok/s floor each workload needs to feel usable. A combo that partially offloads caps at C; one that does not fit is D everywhere.

Memory math: weights + context vs budget

Weights take 20 GB. Context costs extra KV-cache on top; this is where long-context sessions break on cards that technically fit the weights.

Weights 20 GBKV cache · 16k context 4.0 GBHeadroom 4.8 GBRuntime reserve 3.2 GB

The model leaves about 4.8 GB of the usable VRAM budget free after weights and 16k context.

ContextKV-cacheTotalFits
8k tokens2.0 GB22.0 GBFits
16k tokens4.0 GB24.0 GBFits
32k tokens8.0 GB28.0 GBFits
64k tokens16.0 GB36.0 GBOver
128k tokens32.0 GB52.0 GBOver

KV-cache figures assume an fp16 cache, the llama.cpp/Ollama default. Standard GQA models use a size-class estimate (8 KV heads x 128 head dim class); hybrid linear-attention models (Qwen3.5/3.6, Qwen3-Next) use the exact per-token cost from their published config, since only their sparse full-attention layers cache KV. A q8_0 KV cache roughly halves either figure. Estimates, not measurements.

See how fast it feels

A deterministic typing simulation for Gemma 4 31B: first token ~1.0s (instant prefill), then ~46 tokens/sec.

Start the simulation to preview the response pace.

ModelFit engine estimate, not a measured benchmark. Real speed varies with prompt length, thermals, runtime, and KV-cache settings.

Gemma 4 31B on RTX 5090: FAQ

Can the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 run Gemma 4 31B?

Yes. Gemma 4 31B (Q4_K_M) loads in about 20 GB and the RTX 5090 offers 28.8 GB of usable VRAM, leaving headroom for context. Expect at roughly 46 tokens/sec (est.).

How much VRAM does Gemma 4 31B need?

About 20 GB for the weights at Q4_K_M, plus KV-cache for context: roughly 4.0 GB extra at 16k tokens. The RTX 5090 budget is 28.8 GB (32 GB x 90%).

What is the best quantization of Gemma 4 31B for the RTX 5090?

Stick with the Q4_K_M build at 20 GB; every heavier quant exceeds the 28.8 GB usable VRAM.

What GPU do I need to run Gemma 4 31B comfortably?

The RTX 5090 already runs Gemma 4 31B comfortably. Larger cards only buy you longer context or a heavier quant.

How much context can Gemma 4 31B use on the RTX 5090?

Up to 32k tokens stay fully in VRAM (28.0 GB total with the KV cache). At 64k tokens the total reaches 36.0 GB and tips over the budget. Quantizing the KV cache to q8_0 roughly halves the KV column and buys back about one context tier.

Is Gemma 4 31B on the RTX 5090 fast enough for coding agents?

Barely on paper: the engine estimates ~46 tok/s against the ~30 tok/s an agentic loop needs to feel responsive, but Gemma 4 31B is not tuned for tool-calling, which caps its agentic grade; a coding-tuned model is the better pick here.