Local AI Explained Simply
New to running AI on your own machine? Start here. These guides cover what VRAM and CUDA actually do, how much hardware you need, and what you can build — in plain English, no jargon assumed. When you're ready, the calculator tells you exactly what your PC can run.
Recommended
Most popularHow Much VRAM Do You Need to Run an LLM?
The buyer's cheat-sheet, from 7B chat models to 70B.
Read · 3 min★ PopularBest GPUs for Local LLMs
Ranked picks by budget and VRAM, built from real data.
Read · 2 min★ PopularDo You Need an NVIDIA GPU for Local AI?
NVIDIA vs AMD vs Apple — the honest trade-offs.
Read · 7 min★ PopularCan an RTX 4060 Run Local AI?
The exact models a 4060 can run, and how fast.
Read · 3 min★ PopularCheapest GPU to Run Llama Locally
Best value cards for running local LLMs.
Read · 3 min★ PopularCan an RTX 4070 Run Local AI?
How far 12 GB gets you — into the 13–14B sweet spot.
Read · 2 minBrowse by Topic
Why Run AI Locally — and Why Not
Privacy, cost, offline access and control versus the real downsides: setup, hardware cost and speed. An honest both-sides look.
4 min readHow VRAM Affects Local AI
VRAM is the single most important spec for running AI locally. Here's what it does, why models need it, and what happens when you run out.
3 min readWhat Is CUDA? And Why It Matters for Local AI
CUDA is the reason NVIDIA dominates AI. A plain-English explainer on what it is, what it does, and how AMD (ROCm) and Apple (Metal) compare.
4 min readLocal AI vs ChatGPT: When Is Running Models Locally Worth It?
A balanced comparison of running open-weight models at home versus using frontier cloud services like ChatGPT.
5 min readIs Local AI Actually Private? What Running Models Offline Does and Doesn't Protect
Local AI keeps your prompts off third-party servers — but the app around the model matters just as much as the model itself.
6 min readThe Best Local AI Models to Run in 2026
The open-weight models worth running, by hardware tier and by job — from 8 GB cards to multi-GPU rigs, plus the best picks for chat, reasoning and coding.
6 min readHow Much VRAM Do You Need to Run an LLM?
A practical VRAM-by-model-size table — from 7B chat models on 8 GB cards to 70B on 24 GB — plus how quantization and context change the math.
3 min readBest GPUs for Local LLMs
Ranked GPU picks for running local AI by budget and VRAM tier — built from real benchmark data and the actual model each card can run.
2 min readDo You Need an NVIDIA GPU for Local AI? (AMD and Apple, Honestly)
NVIDIA is the safe default, but AMD, Apple Silicon and Intel Arc all run local models. Here is the honest trade-off breakdown.
7 min readHow Much System RAM Do You Need for Local AI? (RAM vs VRAM)
System RAM and VRAM play very different roles. Learn how much you need — and why RAM type matters more than RAM amount for speed.
7 min readCan an RTX 4060 Run Local AI?
Yes — and here are the exact models an 8 GB RTX 4060 runs, how fast, and where its limit is. Live data from our engine.
3 min readCan an RTX 4070 Run Local AI?
Yes — the 12 GB RTX 4070 reaches the 13–14B sweet spot. The exact models it runs, the speed, and its ceiling, from live data.
2 min readCheapest GPU to Run Llama Locally
Llama 8B needs only ~5 GB. A live comparison of the cheapest budget cards that run it well — and which gives the best value.
3 min readCan an RTX 4090 Run Local AI?
The consumer local-AI flagship: 24 GB runs 32B-class models fully on the GPU at class-leading speed. The exact models and tok/s, live.
5 min readCan an RTX 3090 Run Local AI?
The value 24 GB pick: the same capacity as a 4090 on the used market, for far less. What it runs and how fast, from live data.
5 min readCan an RTX 4080 Run Local AI?
High-end without flagship price: 16 GB runs 13–14B models on-GPU with context headroom. The exact models and speed, live.
5 min readCan an RX 7900 XTX Run Local AI?
AMD's 24 GB flagship runs 32B-class models — the capacity is there, but ROCm setup is rougher than NVIDIA. The honest trade-off, with live data.
6 min readCan an RTX 3060 Run Local AI?
The budget classic: 12 GB clears the 13B threshold that 8 GB cards can't, at a used-market price. What it runs and how fast, live.
5 min readCan an RTX 4060 Ti 16GB Run Local AI?
The budget VRAM hero: 16 GB fits 13–14B models cheaply, but a narrow bus trades bandwidth for capacity. The exact models and speed, live.
5 min readCan an RTX 5090 Run Local AI?
The consumer flagship: 32 GB runs 32B-class models on-GPU at the fastest speed on any consumer card. The exact models and tok/s, live.
5 min readCan an RTX 5080 Run Local AI?
High-end Blackwell with 16 GB: runs 13–14B models with context headroom at top speed. The exact models and tok/s, live.
5 min readCan an RTX 5070 Run Local AI?
The newest 12 GB mainstream card: hits the 13–14B sweet spot at strong modern speed. The exact models and tok/s, live.
4 min readCan an RTX 4070 Ti Run Local AI?
12 GB with extra bandwidth: runs the 13–14B sweet spot faster than a 4070, but holds no larger models. The exact figures, live.
4 min readCan an RTX 4070 Super Run Local AI?
One of the most recommended 12 GB cards for local AI: the 13–14B sweet spot at strong speed and efficiency. The exact models, live.
4 min readCan an RTX 3080 Run Local AI?
A fast 8B card: huge bandwidth makes small models fly, but 10 GB is an awkward middle for 13B. The exact models and tok/s, live.
5 min readCan an RTX 3070 Run Local AI?
The Ampere workhorse: 8 GB runs 7–8B models fast on the used market — but a 12 GB 3060 holds more. The exact figures, live.
5 min readCan an RTX 3060 Ti Run Local AI?
Budget Ampere with 8 GB: faster than a 3060 but less VRAM — the classic capacity-versus-speed call. The exact models, live.
5 min readCan an RX 7900 XT Run Local AI?
AMD's 20 GB value card runs 32B-class models — great capacity, but ROCm setup is rougher than NVIDIA. The honest trade-off, live.
6 min readCan an RX 7800 XT Run Local AI?
AMD's mainstream 16 GB card fits 13–14B models — more VRAM per dollar than NVIDIA, with the ROCm caveat. The exact figures, live.
6 min readCan an RX 6800 XT Run Local AI?
Used-market value: 16 GB for cheap runs 13–14B models, if you accept ROCm and an older architecture. The exact models, live.
6 min readCan an Intel Arc B580 Run Local AI?
Budget VRAM-per-dollar champion: 12 GB cheaply reaches 13–14B models, if you accept Intel's less mature software. The exact figures, live.
6 min readCan an RTX 4060 Laptop Run Local AI?
Yes, in the 8 GB entry tier. The exact models the RTX 4060 Laptop runs, how fast, and why TGP matters on a laptop. Live data.
2 min readCan an RTX 4070 Laptop Run Local AI?
Yes, but it shares the 4060 Laptop's 8 GB. Why the higher number does not help for AI, the exact models, and the speed. Live data.
2 min readCan an RTX 4080 Laptop Run Local AI?
Yes, in the 12 GB tier that reaches 13–14B models. The exact LLMs the RTX 4080 Laptop runs, the speed, and how it differs from the desktop 4080. Live data.
2 min readCan an RTX 4090 Laptop Run Local AI?
Yes, with 16 GB (not the desktop's 24 GB). The exact 13–14B models it runs, the speed, and the 32B ceiling. Live data.
2 min readCan an RTX 4050 Laptop Run Local AI?
Yes, in the 6 GB entry tier. The small models the RTX 4050 Laptop runs, how fast, and how to work within tight VRAM. Live data.
2 min readCan an RTX 3060 Laptop Run Local AI?
Yes, but it is 6 GB, not the desktop 3060's 12 GB. The exact models it runs, the speed, and the VRAM trap to avoid. Live data.
2 min readCan an RTX 3070 Laptop Run Local AI?
Yes, in the 8 GB tier with a bit more bandwidth than the 3060 Laptop. The exact models, the speed, and the ceiling. Live data.
2 min readCan an RTX 5090 Laptop Run Local AI?
Yes, and it is the first laptop GPU with 24 GB — enough for 32B models on the move. The exact LLMs, the speed, and the limits. Live data.
2 min readWhat You Can Run Locally with Ollama
Chatbots, coding assistants, document Q&A, image generation — what local AI tools like Ollama actually let you do, and how to get started.
3 min readCommon Projects You Can Build with Local AI
Real, doable projects: a private chatbot, a document assistant, a coding helper, a summarizer, simple automations — with what each needs.
3 min readQuantization Explained: Q4 vs Q5 vs Q8
Quantization is how a 70B model fits on a gaming GPU. What the Q numbers mean, the quality trade-off, and which to pick.
3 min readWhat Is Tokens Per Second? How Fast Is Fast Enough for Local AI?
Tokens per second explained: what it measures, what counts as interactive, and why MoE models can outrun smaller dense ones.
7 min readOllama vs LM Studio vs Jan: Which Local AI App Should You Use?
A plain-English comparison of the three leading local AI runners — who each tool is for and how to choose.
5 min readGGUF vs EXL2 vs AWQ: Local AI Model Formats Explained
The three dominant local AI model formats — GGUF, EXL2 and AWQ — explained: what they are, which runtimes use them, and how to choose.
6 min readQwen3: One of the Best Local AI Model Families
Alibaba's Qwen3 spans 0.6B to 235B, covers 100+ languages, and pairs a hybrid thinking mode with an efficient MoE architecture — making it a top open-weight pick at almost every hardware tier.
5 min readMeta's Llama Models for Local AI, Explained
Why Llama is the most widely used base for local AI — the 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and Llama 4 lineup, what each is good at, and what you can do with them.
6 min readDeepSeek R1: Open Reasoning You Can Run Locally
DeepSeek R1 brought open, step-by-step reasoning to local AI — and its distilled 7B–32B versions put that reasoning on consumer GPUs. Why it matters and what to use it for.
7 min readGoogle Gemma 3: Small, Efficient Local AI Models
Google's Gemma 3 (1B–27B, multimodal) delivers some of the best quality per gigabyte of VRAM — the 27B competes with far larger models on a single GPU. Why it's good and what to use it for.
6 min readgpt-oss: OpenAI's Open-Weight Models for Local AI
OpenAI's first open-weight release in years — gpt-oss-20b and gpt-oss-120b — are efficient MoE reasoning models you can run offline. What they are and what to use them for.
6 min readThe Best Local AI Models for Coding
Qwen2.5-Coder, DeepSeek-Coder, Codestral, CodeLlama and more — the best open-weight coding models, what each is good at, and how to wire them into your editor.
6 min read