// AI HARDWARE · HANDS-ON
Run AI locally — without guessing the hardware.
Independent, hands-on reviews and buying guides for GPUs, workstations and cloud rigs to run local LLMs, Stable Diffusion and deep learning.
? Which rig fits me?
My budget
I want to run
Your match
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—See all tiers
| Budget | Rig | VRAM | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500+ | Starter — used RTX 3060 | 12 GB | 8B–13B models, SD 1.5 |
| $1,000+ | Entry — RTX 4060 Ti 16GB | 16 GB | 13B models, SDXL |
| $2,000+ | Sweet spot — RTX 3090 build | 24 GB | 34B + 70B (quantized), SDXL |
| $3,500+ | Fast — RTX 4090 build | 24 GB | fast 34B, 70B quant, light training |
| $5,000+ | Workstation — 2× 24GB | 48 GB | 70B comfortably, fine-tuning |
| $8,000+ | Pro — multi-GPU / RTX 6000 Ada | 48–96 GB | large training, multi-70B |
Explore the hub
Hardware
GPUs, builds and prebuilt workstations to run AI locally — tested picks at every budget.
Software & Tools
Run-it apps (LM Studio, Ollama, Open WebUI) and the dev setup around local AI.
Models
Which model to run, quantization, and the best local model for each job.
Cloud & Hosting
Rent GPUs (RunPod, Vast, Lambda) and host your AI — VPS, GPU hosting and domains.
Learn
Courses and books to go from running models to truly understanding them.
Latest guides
Best GPU for Running LLMs Locally in 2026
Which graphics card actually runs local LLMs well? Tested picks by VRAM, budget and model size — from 8B models to 70B.
Read →Best Prebuilt AI Workstations in 2026
Ready-to-run AI workstations compared — for people who want the rig without building it. By budget, GPU and use case.
Read →Build a Local LLM Rig Under $2,000 (2026 Parts List)
A complete, balanced parts list to run local LLMs for under $2,000 — GPU, CPU, RAM, PSU and storage that actually fit together.
Read →Cloud vs Buy: Should You Rent or Own a GPU for AI?
The honest math on renting GPUs (RunPod, Vast.ai) versus buying your own. Break-even hours, hidden costs, and which makes sense for you.
Read →How to Run Llama Locally with Ollama (Step by Step)
A beginner-friendly walkthrough to install Ollama and run Llama and other LLMs locally in minutes — no cloud, no API keys.
Read →The Best Local LLMs to Run Right Now (2026)
The best open-weight LLMs to run locally in 2026, picked by use-case and size — from 8B models for a laptop to 70B-class for a real GPU.
Read →