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Best hardware to run Gemma 4 26B-A4B locally

Gemma 4 26B-A4B needs about 18 GB at Q4_K_M. 16 of the 17 priced rigs we track can hold it. Here's the cheapest, the best value and the fastest. Prices & stock checked 2026-10-23. Prices change daily and some retailers block our checker, so always confirm on the store page.

Our picks

Strix HaloAvailable

GMKtec EVO-X2

Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 64GB / 1TB

$2,200at GMKtec store

Cheapest that fits. Lowest price we've seen on any tracked rig that holds Gemma 4 26B-A4B at 4-bit (18 of 48 GB usable).

Fits~61 tok/sQ4_K_M

Suggested quant: Q8_0 (~40 tok/s)

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Mac StudioAvailable

Mac Studio M5 Max

18-core CPU / 32-core GPU, 36GB

$2,499at Apple Store

Best value. Lowest price per token/sec among complete systems where it fits comfortably: about $27 per tok/s at 4-bit.

Fits~92 tok/sQ4_K_M
Check price
RTX 5090In stock

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition

32GB card

$8,500at Newegg

Fastest. Most memory bandwidth of the rigs that fit it (1,792 GB/s), so the quickest decode: ~247 tok/s at 4-bit.

Fits~247 tok/sQ4_K_M

GPU price is card only: you still need a host PC.

Check price

Which quant to use

Use Q4_K_M on most rigs: it needs ~18 GB. Q8_0 (~30 GB) is a bit more accurate and fits comfortably on 13 of these rigs, e.g. the GMKtec EVO-X2.

Every rig that fits it

MachinePrice4-bit fit & speedSuggested quant$ per tok/s
GMKtec EVO-X2Strix Halo$2,200
Fits~61 tok/s
Q8_0$36
Mac Studio M5 MaxMac Studio$2,499
Fits~92 tok/s
Q4_K_M$27
Mac Studio M5 MaxMac Studio$3,099
Fits~106 tok/s
Q8_0$29
Framework Desktop DIYStrix Halo$3,449
Fits~61 tok/s
Q8_0$56
GMKtec EVO-X2Strix Halo$3,500
Fits~61 tok/s
Q8_0$57
Minisforum MS-S1 MaxStrix Halo$3,919
Fits~61 tok/s
Q8_0$64
Beelink GTR9 ProStrix Halo$4,349
Fits~61 tok/s
Q8_0$71
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4090 Windforce V2RTX 4090 (card only, needs a host PC)$4,899
Fits~190 tok/s
Q4_K_M$26
Mac Studio M5 UltraMac Studio$5,499
Fits~114 tok/s
Q8_0$48
Lenovo ThinkStation PGXDGX Spark / GB10$5,859
Fits~70 tok/s
Q8_0$84
ASUS Ascent GX10DGX Spark / GB10$5,999
Fits~70 tok/s
Q8_0$86
NVIDIA DGX SparkDGX Spark / GB10$6,950
Fits~70 tok/s
Q8_0$100
HP ZGX Nano G1nDGX Spark / GB10$7,699
Fits~70 tok/s
Q8_0$111
Gigabyte AI TOP ATOMDGX Spark / GB10$8,499
Fits~70 tok/s
Q8_0$122
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders EditionRTX 5090 (card only, needs a host PC)$8,500
Fits~247 tok/s
Q4_K_M$34
PNY NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 BlackwellRTX PRO 6000 (card only, needs a host PC)$17,899
Fits~247 tok/s
Q8_0$72

Sorted by lowest price. Speeds are estimated single-user decode at ~8K context. Full fit table, including rigs that don't fit: Gemma 4 26B-A4B memory requirements. How we estimate

FAQ

How much memory does Gemma 4 26B-A4B need?

About 18 GB at Q4_K_M and 30 GB at Q8_0, including runtime overhead and ~8K tokens of context for one user. Longer context needs more.

What's the cheapest hardware to run Gemma 4 26B-A4B locally?

Of the rigs we track, the GMKtec EVO-X2 at $2,200, estimated ~61 tok/s at 4-bit. Prices checked 2026-10-23.

Which quant should I use for Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Q4_K_M is the default: about 18 GB. Q8_0 needs about 30 GB; use it only if you have the room and still get usable speed.

How fast does Gemma 4 26B-A4B run?

It has 3.8B active parameters per token, so speed is set by memory bandwidth: from ~61 tok/s on the slowest rig that fits to ~247 tok/s on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition. Estimates, not benchmarks.

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