Best AI Models for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

Runs 7–9B models well; 14B only just fits.

12 GB GDDR6360 GB/s26 TFLOPS FP16170 WAmpere 2021

What LLMs can the RTX 3060 12GB run?

#	Model	Speed	Quant · VRAM
1	Qwen3.5 9BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 36.8 t/s	36.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
2	Qwen3.5 4BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 71.8 t/s	71.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB
3	Gemma 3 12B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 10.9 GB · 29.1 t/s	29.1 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 10.9 GB
4	Gemma 2 9B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 7.3 GB · 38.4 t/s	38.4 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 7.3 GB
5	Ling 3.0 TinyInclusion AI Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB · 188 t/s	188 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB

#	Model	Speed	Coding Score	Quant · VRAM
1	Llama 3.1 8B InstructMetaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 7.9 GB · 44.2 t/s	44.2 tok/s		Q4_K_M · 7.9 GB
2	Qwen3.5 9BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 36.8 t/s	36.8 tok/s	overall	Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
3	Qwen3.5 4BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 71.8 t/s	71.8 tok/s	overall	Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB
4	Gemma 4 12B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 9.0 GB · 28.4 t/s	28.4 tok/s		Q4_K_M · 9.0 GB
5	Ling 3.0 TinyInclusion AI Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB · 188 t/s	188 tok/s		Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB

#	Model	Speed	Quant · VRAM
1	Qwen3.5 9BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 36.8 t/s	36.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
2	Qwen3 8BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 7.6 GB · 42.4 t/s	42.4 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 7.6 GB
3	Llama 3.1 8B InstructMeta Q4_K_M · 7.9 GB · 44.2 t/s	44.2 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 7.9 GB
4	Gemma 3 4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB · 82.4 t/s	82.4 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB
5	Gemma 4 12B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 9.0 GB · 28.4 t/s	28.4 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 9.0 GB

#	Model	Speed	Quant · VRAM
1	Qwen3.5 9BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 36.8 t/s	36.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
2	Qwen3.5 4BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 71.8 t/s	71.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB
3	Llama 3.1 8B InstructMeta Q4_K_M · 7.9 GB · 44.2 t/s	44.2 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 7.9 GB
4	Mistral Nemo Instruct 2407Mistral AI Q4_K_M · 11.0 GB · 29.0 t/s	29.0 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 11.0 GB
5	Gemma 4 12B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 9.0 GB · 28.4 t/s	28.4 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 9.0 GB

#	Model	Speed ↓	Quant · VRAM
1	Qwen3.5 4BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 71.8 t/s	71.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB
2	Ling 3.0 TinyInclusion AI Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB · 188 t/s	188 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 5.5 GB
3	Qwen3 8BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 7.6 GB · 42.4 t/s	42.4 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 7.6 GB
4	Qwen3.5 9BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 36.8 t/s	36.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
5	Gemma 4 12B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 9.0 GB · 28.4 t/s	28.4 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 9.0 GB

#	Model	Speed	Quant · VRAM
1	Qwen3.5 9BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 36.8 t/s	36.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
2	Qwen3.5 4BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 71.8 t/s	71.8 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB
3	Gemma 3 12B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 10.9 GB · 29.1 t/s	29.1 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 10.9 GB
4	Gemma 3 4B ITGoogle Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB · 82.4 t/s	82.4 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 5.0 GB
5	MiMo V2.6 Distill Qwen 9BXiaomi Q4_K_M · 6.5 GB · 37.7 t/s	37.7 tok/s	Q4_K_M · 6.5 GB

See all 276 models on the RTX 3060 12GB →Best quant that fits · speeds estimated on this card

About the RTX 3060 12GB

The RTX 3060 12GB is an entry card in the 12 GB class: it runs 7–9B models well. It is more efficient per watt than most 12 GB cards, and among the best speed per dollar of the cards compared at ≈$329 used. Ampere generation, released 2021.

Speed in 12 GB#8360 GB/s

Per watt#50.22 tok/s per W on Qwen3.5 9B (9B params)

Per dollar#211.2 tok/s per $100 on Qwen3.5 9B (9B params)

GenerationAmperereleased 2021

RTX 3060 12GB strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

Runs 14B models: Qwen3 14B at 24.6 tok/s in 11.9 GB

Weaknesses

27–31B models don't fit: Qwen3.8 27B needs 17.9 GB at Q4 vs 12 GB here
Little room for context: Qwen3 14B uses 11.9 of 12 GB, 0.1 GB left
Slow prompt reading: A 4K-token prompt on Qwen3.5 9B waits 6.9 s for the first token
No FP8 or NVFP4: Ampere predates both; use GGUF, AWQ or GPTQ builds

Speed per dollar and per watt

NewUsed

On Qwen3.5 9B (9B params) at Q4_K_M. New prices are compared with new, used with used. The last two columns are the speed you get per $100 of price and per 100 W of board power; higher is better. The RTX 3060 12GB has no new price, so the New view shows it at its MSRP.

Card	New price	tok/s	tok/s per $100	tok/s per 100 W
RTX 3060 12GB12 GB	about $329	36.8	11.2	21.6
RTX 50608 GBBest new value	about $460	45.8	10.0	31.6
RTX 507012 GB	about $840	68.7	8.2	27.5
RTX 5070 Ti16 GB	about $1,170	91.6	7.8	30.5
RX 907016 GB	about $800	60.4	7.6	27.5
RX 9070 XT16 GB	about $815	60.4	7.4	19.9
RTX 40608 GB	about $520	27.8	5.3	24.2
RX 9060 XT 16GB16 GB	about $590	30.2	5.1	18.9

Card	Used price	tok/s	tok/s per $100	tok/s per 100 W
RTX 50608 GBBest used value	about $388	45.8	11.8	31.6
RTX 3060 12GB12 GB	about $329	36.8	11.2	21.6
RTX 507012 GB	about $736	68.7	9.3	27.5
RX 907016 GB	about $650	60.4	9.3	27.5
RTX 407012 GB	about $575	51.5	9.0	25.8
RTX 40608 GB	about $335	27.8	8.3	24.2
RTX 4060 Ti 8GB8 GB	about $362	29.4	8.1	18.4
RX 9060 XT 16GB16 GB	about $480	30.2	6.3	18.9

Similar GPUs

Cards people weigh against the RTX 3060 12GB, each with the one reason it is worth a look. Speeds on Qwen3.5 9B.

11% faster, same 12 GBRX 9070 GREAMD · 12 GB · RDNA 4

▲ 11% speedsame 12 GB$549

4 GB more and 64% fasterRX 9070AMD · 16 GB · RDNA 4

▲ 64% speed▲ 4 GB$800

Same 12 GB, new with warrantyRTX 5070NVIDIA · 12 GB · Blackwell

▲ 87% speedsame 12 GB$840rent $0.14/hr

4 GB more, but slowerRX 9060 XT 16GBAMD · 16 GB · RDNA 4

▼ 18% speed▲ 4 GB$590

About as fast, same 12 GBB580Intel · 12 GB · Battlemage

same speedsame 12 GB$249

12 GB more and 2.5× the speedRX 7900 XTXAMD · 24 GB · RDNA 3

▲ 146% speed▲ 12 GB$1,130

RTX 3060 12GB tokens per second by model size

Output speed depends on memory bandwidth (360 GB/s). Grey rows need more than 12 GB.

9BQwen3.5 9B · Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
36.8tok/s
14BQwen3 14B · Q4_K_M · 11.9 GB tight · Q4_K_M
24.6tok/s
27–31BQwen3.8 27B · not at 4-bit
needs 17.9 GB
35B MoEQwen3.6 35B A3B · not at 4-bit
needs 22.0 GB
70BLlama 3.3 70B Instruct · not at 4-bit
needs 51.3 GB
120B MoEGPT OSS 120B · not at 4-bit
needs 70.8 GB

Estimated speeds: Q4_K_M, 4K context, one user. How we estimate

All 956 models on the RTX 3060 12GB

Featured only

Best quant that fits, ordered by llmrun Score. Fit grades how well it runs here, S best. How ranking works

LLM models compatible with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB — ranked by Score, recency and Fit
Model	Quant	VRAM	Speed	Context	Fit
CodeQwen1.5 7B7.3BChatCode Q4_K_M·49.0 t/s	Q4_K_M	5.7 GB48%	49.0 t/s	66K	A79, Runs well
Gemma 1.1 2B IT2.5BChat Q4_K_M·141.8 t/s	Q4_K_M	3.5 GB29%	141.8 t/s	—	S96, Runs great
Gemma 2 2B Jpn IT2.6BChat BF16·40.7 t/s	BF16	7.6 GB64%	40.7 t/s	—	A75, Runs well
Baichuan2 7B Base7BChat Q4_K_M·50.6 t/s	Q4_K_M	5.0 GB41%	50.6 t/s	4K	A80, Runs well
Xgen 7B 8k Base7BChat Q4_K_M·50.6 t/s	Q4_K_M	5.7 GB47%	50.6 t/s	8K	A80, Runs well
Qwen 1 8B1.8BChat Q4_K_M·193.4 t/s	Q4_K_M	1.9 GB16%	193.4 t/s	8K	S99, Runs great
Qwen2.5 Math 1.5B1.5BChatMathFunctions Q4_K_M·182.8 t/s	Q4_K_M	1.3 GB11%	182.8 t/s	4K	S99, Runs great
Codegemma 2B2.5BChatCode Q4_K_M·141.8 t/s	Q4_K_M	3.5 GB29%	141.8 t/s	—	S96, Runs great
Falcon 7B7.2BChat Q4_K_M·49.2 t/s	Q4_K_M	7.3 GB60%	49.2 t/s	—	A79, Runs well
MagicPrompt Stable Diffusion137MChat Q4_K_M·2600.0 t/s	Q4_K_M	0.1 GB1%	2600.0 t/s	1K	S100, Runs great
Yi 6B Chat6.1BChat Q4_K_M·57.5 t/s	Q4_K_M	4.2 GB35%	57.5 t/s	4K	A82, Runs well
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct31.1BVisionFunctions IQ2_M·118.1 t/s	IQ2_M	11.6 GB97%	118.1 t/s	262K	B62, Decent
Baichuan 7B7BChat Q4_K_M·50.6 t/s	Q4_K_M	5.0 GB41%	50.6 t/s	4K	A80, Runs well
SmolLM2 1.7B1.7BChat Q4_K_M·135.3 t/s	Q4_K_M	2.9 GB25%	135.3 t/s	8K	S96, Runs great
RedPajama INCITE 7B Base7BChat Q4_K_M·50.6 t/s	Q4_K_M	4.6 GB39%	50.6 t/s	2K	A80, Runs well

RTX 3060 12GB specs, power and PSU

Specs

Architecture: Ampere
VRAM: 12 GB GDDR6
Memory bandwidth: 360.0 GB/s
FP16 (dense): 25.50 TFLOPS
CUDA cores: 3,584
Tensor cores: 112
Compute capability: 8.6
TDP: 170 W
Released: 2021-02-25
MSRP: $329

RTX 3060 12GB FAQ

Is the RTX 3060 12GB still worth it in 2026?

At ≈$329 used you get 11.2 tok/s per $100 on Qwen3.5 9B, which ranks 2nd of the 8 cards compared here; it is also the 8th fastest out of 9 cards with 12 GB. It runs 7–9B models well; 14B only just fits.

What is the largest model the RTX 3060 12GB can run?

GPT OSS 20B (20.9B) is the largest at 4-bit or better: at IQ4_XS it uses 11.8 GB of 12 GB, and runs at about 88.8 tok/s.

Can the RTX 3060 12GB run Qwen3.5 9B?

Yes. Qwen3.5 9B fits at Q4_K_M, using 6.6 GB of 12 GB, and it is the best model that runs well on this card.

Can the RTX 3060 12GB run 27–31B models?

No. Qwen3.8 27B needs 17.9 GB at Q4, more than the 12 GB on this card.

How many tokens per second does the RTX 3060 12GB give?

About 36.8 tok/s on Qwen3.5 9B at Q4_K_M, with the first token after 6.9 s on a 4K-token prompt.

What power supply does the RTX 3060 12GB need?

Plan a 350 W PSU (2× the 170 W TDP).

Is 12 GB enough for coding and agents?

Yes for coding: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct, the only coding-scored model that fits, runs at about 44 tok/s. For agents, not yet: no agent-scored model fits in less than 96 GB.

Is renting cheaper than buying an RTX 3060 12GB?

Rent from $0.07/hr. Renting costs as much as buying after ≈5,000 hours (≈3.4 years at 4 h a day).

Best coding LLMs 12 GB VRAM 16 GB VRAM GPUs with 12 GB or more RTX 3090 Ti RTX 4090