gemma-2-2b-it
google/gemma-2-2b-itgemma-2-2b-it at Q4_K_M is exactly 1,708,582,752 bytes (1.59 GiB / 1.71 GB) — an effective 5.228 bits per weight, not the nominal 4. Its KV cache at 32K is 1.85 GiB, not the 3.25 GiB a flat formula predicts.
Shipped quantizations
| Quant | Size● | Exact bytes● | Effective bpw● | Tensors● | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IQ1_S | 0.78 GiB | 832,159,584 | 2.546 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| IQ1_M | 0.81 GiB | 873,797,472 | 2.674 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| IQ2_XS | 0.93 GiB | 1,002,544,992 | 3.068 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q2_K | 1.15 GiB | 1,229,829,984 | 3.763 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| IQ3_XS | 1.22 GiB | 1,314,211,680 | 4.021 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q3_K_S | 1.27 GiB | 1,360,660,320 | 4.164 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| IQ3_M | 1.30 GiB | 1,393,561,440 | 4.264 | — | lmstudio-community |
| IQ3_M | 1.30 GiB | 1,393,561,440 | 4.264 | — | bartowski |
| Q3_K_M | 1.36 GiB | 1,461,667,680 | 4.473 | 288 | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q3_K_L | 1.44 GiB | 1,550,436,192 | 4.744 | — | bartowski |
| Q3_K_L | 1.44 GiB | 1,550,436,192 | 4.744 | — | lmstudio-community |
| Q3_K_L | 1.44 GiB | 1,550,436,192 | 4.744 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| IQ4_XS | 1.46 GiB | 1,566,250,848 | 4.793 | 288 | bartowski |
| IQ4_XS | 1.46 GiB | 1,566,250,848 | 4.793 | 288 | lmstudio-community |
| IQ4_XS | 1.46 GiB | 1,566,250,848 | 4.793 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q4_K_S | 1.53 GiB | 1,638,651,744 | 5.014 | — | bartowski |
| Q4_K_S | 1.53 GiB | 1,638,651,744 | 5.014 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q4_K_M | 1.59 GiB | 1,708,582,752 | 5.228 | 288 | lmstudio-community |
| Q4_K_M | 1.59 GiB | 1,708,582,752 | 5.228 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q4_K_M | 1.59 GiB | 1,708,582,752 | 5.228 | 288 | bartowski |
| Q5_K_S | 1.75 GiB | 1,882,543,968 | 5.761 | — | bartowski |
| Q5_K_S | 1.75 GiB | 1,882,543,968 | 5.761 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q5_K_M | 1.79 GiB | 1,923,278,688 | 5.885 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q5_K_M | 1.79 GiB | 1,923,278,688 | 5.885 | 288 | bartowski |
| Q5_K_M | 1.79 GiB | 1,923,278,688 | 5.885 | 288 | lmstudio-community |
| Q6_K | 2.00 GiB | 2,151,393,120 | 6.583 | 288 | lmstudio-community |
| Q6_K | 2.00 GiB | 2,151,393,120 | 6.583 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| Q6_K | 2.00 GiB | 2,151,393,120 | 6.583 | 288 | bartowski |
| Q6_K_L | 2.14 GiB | 2,294,241,120 | 7.021 | — | bartowski |
| Q8_0 | 2.59 GiB | 2,784,495,456 | 8.521 | 288 | lmstudio-community |
| Q8_0 | 2.59 GiB | 2,784,495,456 | 8.521 | 288 | bartowski |
| Q8_0 | 2.59 GiB | 2,784,495,456 | 8.521 | — | MaziyarPanahi |
| F32 | 9.74 GiB | 10,463,413,856 | 32.019 | — | bartowski |
| F32 | 9.74 GiB | 10,463,413,856 | 32.019 | — | lmstudio-community |
KV cache by context
| Context | KV cache (f16)● | Flat formula | Overstated by | Full / windowed / recurrent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,096 | 0.41 GiB | 0.41 GiB | — | 13 / 13 / 0 |
| 8,192 | 0.63 GiB | 0.81 GiB | 1.28× | 13 / 13 / 0 |
| 16,384 | 1.04 GiB | 1.63 GiB | 1.56× | 13 / 13 / 0 |
| 32,768 | 1.85 GiB | 3.25 GiB | 1.75× | 13 / 13 / 0 |
| 65,536 | 3.48 GiB | 6.50 GiB | 1.87× | 13 / 13 / 0 |
| 131,072 | 6.73 GiB | 13.00 GiB | 1.93× | 13 / 13 / 0 |
13 of 26 layers cache only a 4,096-token window rather than the full context, on a period of 2. Figures assume the default configuration; --swa-full disables the saving entirely.
Compare with
Will it run on your card?
Why other calculators give a different number
A parameters × bits ÷ 8 estimate puts Q4_K_M at roughly 1.37 GiB. The real file is 1.59 GiB, because a quantization is a mixture and some tensors are always kept at higher precision. The larger discrepancy is the cache: a flat formula gives 3.25 GiB at 32K context where the real figure is 1.85 GiB, because most of this model's layers cache a fixed window rather than the whole context.
Architecture
Questions people ask
- How much VRAM does gemma-2-2b-it need?
- Q4_K_M is exactly 1,708,582,752 bytes (1.59 GiB) in weights. Add the KV cache, which depends on your context length, plus roughly half a gigabyte of runtime overhead.
- How large is gemma-2-2b-it's KV cache?
- 1.85 GiB at 32K context with an f16 cache, computed per layer. Quantizing the cache to q8_0 roughly halves it, which is often the difference between a context length fitting and not.
- Which quantization of gemma-2-2b-it should I use?
- Q4_K_M is the usual default. Pick the largest quantization that fits your card at the context you actually need — the table above gives exact sizes for every one published.