Family Gemma · 9B parameters

Gemma 2 9B

Llama 3 quality with a slightly larger footprint.

🇺🇸 Google·License Gemma·Context 8k tokens·Output June 2024·Fits within the 128 GB of the GIGABYTE AI TOP ATOM← Catalog

01What it can do

Strengths
  • Outperforms Llama 3 8B on several benchmarks
  • License Gemma
  • Good quality-to-size ratio
Limitations to know
  • —8192 context only
  • —No vision
Architecture
Dense transformer · Gemma 2 9B · sliding window attention
Training
8T tokens. Architecture distilled from Gemma 2 27B.
Ideal for
ChatTranslation

05Install

Install Ollama for your OS. Check the model and its quantization before downloading. Start with 4096 tokens of context, then check placement with ollama ps. A command below is not proof that a test was run on your machine.

$ollama run gemma2:9b
⚠
First download: between 2 and 40 GB depending on the selected quantization. Plan for sufficient disk space; a stable connection is recommended. Subsequent launches are instant.

02Required memory

Approximate GPU VRAM required to run this model, including 4k tokens of context overhead. For a longer context, add ~1 GB per 8k-token increment.

Q4_K_M
The lightest, ~5% loss
6 GB
Q5_K_M
Good quality/size compromise
7.5 GB
Q8_0
Nearly indistinguishable from FP16
11 GB
FP16
Full precision — server use
20 GB
Fallback CPU · If you don't have a GPU, allow 12 GB of RAM minimum to run this model at reduced speed.

What hardware do you need for Gemma 2 9B?

To run Gemma 2 9B locally with Q4 quantization, you need about 6 GB of VRAM. An option to compare: RTX 5060 Ti 16GB (ASUS Prime) — leave some headroom for the system and context; check engine compatibility with the GPU.

Current offer: RTX 5060 Ti 16GB (ASUS Prime)
AmazonSee price →

Affiliate links — commission possible at no extra cost to you; independent recommendation. As an Amazon Associate, BestLLMfor earns from qualifying purchases.

On the go: Gemma 2 9B also runs on a RTX laptop PC (16 GB of VRAM) →

This model in your private ChatGPT, without the cloud

Your private ChatGPT, free, on your own machine in an hour — LM Studio, Ollama, Open WebUI, your documents, no cloud.

  • Lifetime online access
  • PDF + files
  • Lifetime updates

03Expected speed

Tokens generated per second in Q4_K_M, 4k context. Beyond 20 t/s, reading is comfortable. Below 10 t/s, that's just for testing.

Entry-level
~9t/s
GTX 1650, RX 6600, MBA M2 8GB
Mid-range
~28t/s
RTX 4060, 4070, MBP M3 Pro
High-end
~75t/s
RTX 4090, M4 Max, Radeon 7900

04Public benchmarks

Scores reproduced from model cards or MMLU-Pro / community sources. Unit: % correct answers.

MMLU
71.3
HellaSwag
87.2
HumanEval
40.2