Best AI Models for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (11.0GB)
11 GB is an entry-level tier for local AI. You can run small 7B models at lower quantization levels, which is great for experimenting but comes with quality and speed trade-offs.
With 11 GB, you're limited to smaller models and lower quantization levels, but it's still enough for a meaningful local AI experience. Phi 3 Mini (3.8B) and similar compact models run well at Q4_K_M. For 7B models like Mistral 7B and Llama 3 8B, you'll need Q2_K or Q3_K_M quantization, which reduces output quality. Think of this tier as ideal for learning and experimentation rather than production workloads.
Runs Well
- 3B–4B models at Q4–Q5 quality
- 7B models at Q2–Q3 (usable but reduced quality)
- Quick experiments and learning
Challenging
- 7B models at Q4+ (VRAM too tight)
- Any model above 7B parameters
- Long context windows even with small models
What LLMs Can NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Run?
19 models · 1 excellent · 3 good
Showing compatibility for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
| Model | Quant | VRAM | Speed | Context | Status | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q4_K_M·477.1 t/s tok/s·131K ctx·EASY RUN | Q4_K_M | 0.7 GB | 477.1 t/s | 131K | EASY RUN | D28 |
Q4_K_M·477.1 t/s tok/s·33K ctx·EASY RUN | Q4_K_M | 0.7 GB | 477.1 t/s | 33K | EASY RUN | D28 |
Q4_K_M·238.5 t/s tok/s·8K ctx·EASY RUN | Q4_K_M | 1.3 GB | 238.5 t/s | 8K | EASY RUN | C31 |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Specifications
- Brand
- NVIDIA
- Architecture
- Pascal
- VRAM
- 11.0 GB GDDR5X
- Memory Bandwidth
- 484.4 GB/s
- CUDA Cores
- 3,584
- Tensor Cores
- 0
- FP16 Performance
- 11.30 TFLOPS
- TDP
- 250W
- Release Date
- 2017-03-10
- MSRP
- $699
Get Started
GPUs to Consider Over NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
Similar GPUs and upgrades with more VRAM or higher bandwidth for AI
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080
NVIDIA · Blackwell
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
NVIDIA · Ampere
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti
NVIDIA · Blackwell
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
AMD · RDNA 3
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER
NVIDIA · Ada Lovelace
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
NVIDIA · Ada Lovelace
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti run Gemma 3 12B IT?
Yes, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti with 11 GB can run Gemma 3 12B IT, Phi 4, Qwen3 8B, and 748 other models. 41 models run at excellent quality, and 140 at good quality. Check the compatibility table above for the full list with VRAM usage and estimated speed.
- Is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti good for AI?
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has 11 GB of GDDR5X, making it usable for running local AI models. It supports 181 models at good quality or better. With 484.4 GB/s memory bandwidth, it delivers solid token generation speeds. You can run smaller models and experiment with quantized 7B models.
- How many parameters can NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti handle?
With 11 GB, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti supports models from 1B to 7B parameters depending on quantization level. At Q4_K_M (the recommended sweet spot), you can fit roughly 18B parameters. Smaller 3B–7B models fit at Q3–Q4 quantization.
- What quantization should I use on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti?
For the best balance of quality and speed on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, start with Q4_K_M — it preserves ~85% of the original model quality while keeping VRAM usage reasonable. If a model barely fits, drop to Q3_K_M — quality loss is noticeable but still useful for chat. Avoid Q2_K unless you just want to test whether a model works at all.
- How fast is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti for AI inference?
With 484.4 GB/s memory bandwidth, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti achieves approximately 70 tokens/sec on a 7B model at Q4_K_M — that's very fast, well above conversational speed. Token generation speed scales inversely with model size — smaller models are significantly faster.
tok/s = (484.4 GB/s ÷ model GB) × efficiency
Smaller models = faster inference. Memory bandwidth is the main bottleneck for token generation speed.
Estimated speed on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
~40 tok/s~35 tok/s~57 tok/s~52 tok/sReal-world results typically within ±20%. Speed depends on quantization kernel, batch size, and software stack.
- What's the best model for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti?
The top-rated models for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti are Gemma 3 12B IT, Phi 4, Qwen3 8B. The best choice depends on your use case: coding assistants benefit from code-tuned models, while general chat works well with instruction-tuned models like Llama or Qwen.