Can you run Gemma 4 E4B on RTX 5090?

Gemma 4 E4B 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 E4B. 4 GB weights at Q4_K_M vs 28.8 GB usable VRAM; ~237 tok/s est. (ModelFit, 2026).

$ollama run gemma4:e4b
VERDICT
Comfortable
EST. SPEED
~237 tok/s
WEIGHTS
4 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 E4B on RTX 5090, https://modelfit.io/can-i-run/gemma4-e4b-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
4 GB Q4_K_M
Est. speed
~237 tok/s
First token
~0.3s
Fit grade
A · 86

What limits this combo

The four constraints the fit engine checks for Gemma 4 E4B on the RTX 5090, in order of what usually breaks first.

Weights fitOK4 GB of weights against 28.8 GB usable, leaving 24.8 GB of headroom for context and the runtime.
Context ceilingOKWeights + KV cache stay in budget up to 128k tokens (20.0 GB total). Quantizing the KV cache to q8_0 roughly halves the KV column and pushes this further.
SpeedOK~237 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 E4B

On the RTX 5090, Gemma 4 E4B runs with room to spare (~237 tok/s est.). The cheapest card that also runs it comfortably is the RTX 4060 (8 GB, ~49 tok/s est.). Context ceiling on this card: 128k; on the RTX 4060: 16k.

CardVRAMUsableVerdictEst. speedMax context
RTX 40608 GB7.2 GBYes~49 tok/s16k
RTX 306012 GB10.8 GBYes~69 tok/s32k
RTX 407012 GB10.8 GBYes~85 tok/s32k
RTX 4060 Ti16 GB14.4 GBYes~55 tok/s64k
RTX 5070 Ti16 GB14.4 GBYes~142 tok/s64k
RTX 4070 Ti SUPER16 GB14.4 GBYes~117 tok/s64k
RTX 508016 GB14.4 GBYes~153 tok/s64k
RTX 309024 GB21.6 GBYes~142 tok/s128k
RTX 409024 GB21.6 GBYes~170 tok/s128k
RTX 5090 (this card)32 GB28.8 GBYes~237 tok/s128k

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 E4B 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
~237 tok/s
First token
~0.3s · Instant
Safe context
128k
A · 86 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 E4B 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~237 tok/s est. vs ~20 needed for chat.
CodingC~237 tok/s est. vs ~15 needed for coding; not tuned for code.
Agentic codingC~237 tok/s est. vs ~30 needed for agentic coding; not tuned for tool-calling loops.
ReasoningC~237 tok/s est. vs ~12 needed for reasoning; not a reasoning-tuned model.
RAGA~237 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 4 GB. Context costs extra KV-cache on top; this is where long-context sessions break on cards that technically fit the weights.

Weights 4.0 GBKV cache · 16k context 2.0 GBHeadroom 23 GBRuntime reserve 3.2 GB

The model leaves about 23 GB of the usable VRAM budget free after weights and 16k context.

ContextKV-cacheTotalFits
8k tokens1.0 GB5.0 GBFits
16k tokens2.0 GB6.0 GBFits
32k tokens4.0 GB8.0 GBFits
64k tokens8.0 GB12.0 GBFits
128k tokens16.0 GB20.0 GBFits

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 E4B: first token ~0.3s (instant prefill), then ~237 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 E4B on RTX 5090: FAQ

Can the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 run Gemma 4 E4B?

Yes. Gemma 4 E4B (Q4_K_M) loads in about 4 GB and the RTX 5090 offers 28.8 GB of usable VRAM, leaving headroom for context. Expect at roughly 237 tokens/sec (est.).

How much VRAM does Gemma 4 E4B need?

About 4 GB for the weights at Q4_K_M, plus KV-cache for context: roughly 2.0 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 E4B for the RTX 5090?

The Q8_0 build is the highest quality that fits (7.5 GB vs 28.8 GB usable). The Q4_K_M build at 4 GB leaves more room for long context.

What GPU do I need to run Gemma 4 E4B comfortably?

The RTX 5090 already runs Gemma 4 E4B comfortably. Larger cards only buy you longer context or a heavier quant.

How much context can Gemma 4 E4B use on the RTX 5090?

Up to 128k tokens stay fully in VRAM (20.0 GB total with the KV cache). Quantizing the KV cache to q8_0 roughly halves the KV column and buys back about one context tier.

Is Gemma 4 E4B on the RTX 5090 fast enough for coding agents?

Barely on paper: the engine estimates ~237 tok/s against the ~30 tok/s an agentic loop needs to feel responsive, but Gemma 4 E4B is not tuned for tool-calling, which caps its agentic grade; a coding-tuned model is the better pick here.