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Every story tagged vram, newest first.
How Much VRAM You Actually Need to Run a Local LLM
VRAM is the hard constraint on running a local LLM. Here's the real math — parameters, precision, quantization, KV cache — what fits on 8GB, 24GB, 32GB, and unified-memory machines, plus where quality and speed actually break.
BitByteCore AI Desk · Aug 5, 2026 · 7 min read
The best local LLM runners in 2026: Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, and more
For most people the best local LLM runner in 2026 is still Ollama — free, cross-platform, out of your way. But LM Studio, vLLM, Apple MLX, llama.cpp, Jan, GPT4All, and Open WebUI each win a specific job. Here's which to pick — and what actually fits your GPU.
BitByteCore Research · Aug 4, 2026 · 9 min read
The best home-server hardware for self-hosting AI in 2026
The used RTX 3090 is still the value pick for local AI in 2026 — but a brutal memory shortage reshuffled every price, and 128GB unified boxes (DGX Spark, Strix Halo, Mac Studio) now run big MoE models a 24GB GPU can't hold. Here's what to actually buy.
BitByteCore Research · Aug 3, 2026 · 13 min read
The best budget laptops for programming and AI work in 2026
For most programmers and AI beginners, the best budget laptop is the Apple MacBook Air M4 — but if you need a dedicated GPU for local model training, the Acer Nitro V16 AI wins under $700.
Silicon Desk · Jun 20, 2026 · 13 min read
The best GPUs for running large language models locally in 2026
For most people running LLMs locally in 2026, the best GPU is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 — its 32GB of GDDR7 is the most VRAM on any consumer card, and its ~1.79 TB/s of bandwidth is what makes inference faster. The now-discontinued RTX 4090 is still a strong pick if you find it cheaper.
Signal Desk · Jun 20, 2026 · 10 min read