NVIDIA GPUs
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB
- Memory
- 12 GB
- Bandwidth
- 360 GB/s
Largest popular model at 4-bit: Gemma 4 12B
The cheapest way into CUDA with 12 GB. Slow, but enough for 7–12B models.
from $329 (launch price)Good budget option
AMD · AMD GPUs · 2025
AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
Illustration
Good budget option
The cheapest new 16 GB card. Slow memory, but it holds what an RTX 5060 Ti holds.
- Memory
- 16 GB
- Bandwidth
- 320 GB/s
- Power
- 160 W
- Largest popular model at 4-bit
- gpt-oss-20b
from $349 (launch price)
Researched from manufacturer data and public sources; not tested by us.· Last reviewed Oct 11, 2026
What it can run
EstimatePopular models at Q4_K_M with a 32K-token context. Memory needed from real model files; speed is the theoretical ceiling.
Change model size or context
Model weightsContext cache (KV)RuntimeUsable limit (colour = verdict)
| Model | Verdict | Memory | Speed ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen3 1.7B | Runs | ≤ 288 tok/s | |
| Qwen3.5 9B | Runs | ≤ 56 tok/s | |
| Gemma 4 12B | Runs | ≤ 45 tok/s | |
| gpt-oss-20b | Runs | ≤ 160 tok/s | |
| Qwen3.6 27B | Not enough memory | — | |
| Qwen3.6 35B A3B | Partly in system RAM | — | |
| Llama 3.3 70B | Not enough memory | — | |
| gpt-oss-120b | Partly in system RAM | — | |
| Qwen3.5 122B A10B | Partly in system RAM | — | |
| Qwen3.5 397B A17B | Partly in system RAM | — |
Theoretical maximum for generating text: memory bandwidth divided by the bytes read per token. Real runs usually reach about half to three quarters of it.
Where to buy
Prices are editorial references (launch price and a typical street price on the date shown), not live prices. In 2026 the memory shortage has pushed many prices well above launch.
- RX 9060 XT 16 GB (any partner card)16 GBLaunch price: $349
An 8 GB version exists: pick the 16 GB one.
- Check price Amazon.com (opens in a new tab)Amazon.comCheck availability
Other regions (3)
- Check price Amazon.co.uk (opens in a new tab)Amazon.co.ukUnited Kingdom · Check availability · Search results
- Check price Amazon.es (opens in a new tab)Amazon.esSpain · Check availability
- Check price Amazon.de (opens in a new tab)Amazon.deGermany · Check availability · Search results
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Overview
Editorial opinionBest for: Budget Linux builds that need 16 GB.
Editorial opinionWould we buy it today?
A budget pick; the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is faster and easier if the price gap is small.
Pros and cons
Editorial opinionPros
- Lowest price for 16 GB new
- 160 W
Cons
- 320 GB/s: slow generation
- AMD software needs more care than CUDA
Specifications
Factual data- Manufacturer
- AMD
- Chip
- Navi 44
- Architecture
- RDNA 4
- Type
- Graphics card
- Form factor
- PCIe card
- Released
- 2025
- Availability
- On sale
- Memory options
- 16 GB
- Memory type
- GDDR6
- Memory bus
- 128-bit
- Memory bandwidth
- 320 GB/s
- Usable for models (default)
- 16 GB / 16 GB
- Board / max power
- 160 W
- Interface
- PCIe 5.0 x16
- Compute stack
- ROCm / Vulkan
- Models
- Any model that fits
- Several units for one model
- Yes
Source: Manufacturer specifications
Software support
Editorial opinionHow well the popular local-AI tools run on it today (editorial assessment).
- llama.cppGood
- OllamaGood
- LM StudioGood
- vLLMWorks with effort
- MLXNot supported
Measured speeds
Factual dataMeasured results with their source. We never invent speeds.
No measured results yet. The table above shows the theoretical ceiling instead.
Alternatives
Intel GPUs
Intel Arc Pro B50
- Memory
- 16 GB
- Bandwidth
- 224 GB/s
Largest popular model at 4-bit: gpt-oss-20b
16 GB in a 70 W, low-profile card with no power cable: made for small servers.
from $349 (launch price)Good budget option
Intel GPUs
Intel Arc B580
- Memory
- 12 GB
- Bandwidth
- 456 GB/s
Largest popular model at 4-bit: Gemma 4 12B
12 GB with decent bandwidth for little money; software is the catch.
from $249 (launch price)Good budget option