Build a Local LLM Hardware Budget

Before you start

• A local model runner
• Your system memory and GPU specifications

Key steps

1. 01

   Inventory the machine

   Record GPU memory, system RAM, free storage, and the workloads that must run at the same time.

2. 02

   Choose a practical model class

   Match parameter count and quantization to the available memory rather than the largest downloadable model.

3. 03

   Test representative prompts

   Measure speed and quality on the tasks you actually care about, including realistic context lengths.