Can I Run Nemotron Cascade 2 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB)?
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated September 11, 2026
No — Nemotron-Cascade 2 30B-A3B at Q4_K_M needs 21.7 GB at 8K context (19.1 GB weights + 2.6 GB KV cache/overhead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB)'s 10 GB leaves it ~11.7 GB short. The cheapest card that runs it is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU (24 GB).
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB) Specs
| VRAM | 10 GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 760 GB/s |
Nemotron-Cascade 2 30B-A3B on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB): VRAM by quantization
| Quant | VRAM needed | Fits 10 GB? | Max context | Whole PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F16 | 65.8 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q8_0 | 36.2 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q6_K | 28.5 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q5_K_M | 25 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q4_K_M | 21.7 GB | ✗ No | — | Build for this |
| Q3_K_M | 16.1 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
| Q2_K | 13 GB | ✗ No | — | — |
Assumes an 8K-token context with an f16 KV cache, on an estimated architecture — this model publishes no config we can read. A longer window needs more; a quantized KV cache needs less. “Max context” is the largest window that still fits in 10 GB. Figures are estimates from parameter count, quantization and memory bandwidth — the analyzer lets you tune KV-cache quant and context.
Context costs VRAM too. At Q4_K_M on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB): 8K 21.7 GB ✗ · 32K 27.1 GB ✗ · 128K 48.9 GB ✗. Past 8K it no longer fits 10 GB — a q8_0 KV cache buys roughly half of that back, which the calculator will price for you.
No compatible GPU? Nemotron-Cascade 2 30B-A3B on 24 GB of system RAM, CPU only: runs.
Why It Does Not Fit
Every Nemotron Cascade 2 variant requires more VRAM than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB) provides (10 GB).
Nearest GPU That Fits
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU (24 GB VRAM).
Nemotron Cascade 2 needs ~22 GB but this GPU has 10 GB. Rent a RTX 4090 (24 GB)-class GPU by the hour instead of buying one:
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FAQ
Is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB) enough to run Nemotron Cascade 2 locally?
No — Nemotron-Cascade 2 30B-A3B at Q4_K_M needs 21.7 GB at 8K context (19.1 GB weights + 2.6 GB KV cache/overhead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB)'s 10 GB leaves it ~11.7 GB short. The cheapest card that runs it is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU (24 GB).
What's the cheapest GPU that runs Nemotron Cascade 2?
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU (24 GB VRAM) is the cheapest upgrade that fits it.
Nemotron Cascade 2 on Other GPUs
- Nemotron Cascade 2 on Intel Arc B570
- Nemotron Cascade 2 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
- Nemotron Cascade 2 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB
- Nemotron Cascade 2 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060
- Nemotron Cascade 2 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
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VRAM Tier
Troubleshooting
- CUDA out of memory — why it happens and how to fix it
- Which GGUF quant should I download? (Q4 vs Q5 vs Q8)
Buying Guide
← Can I Run It? | Nemotron Cascade 2 Model Page | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB) GPU Page | VRAM calculator | Check Your Hardware