// local-AI hardware, benchmarked
Which mini PC actually runs your model?
The buyer's authority on mini PCs & unified-memory boxes for local AI — DGX Spark, Strix Halo, Mac Studio. Real specs, real prices, and the one number that decides token speed: memory bandwidth.
15 boxes compared · verified specs & ASINs · bandwidth-first reviews
| model | memory | bandwidth | price |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA DGX Spark | 128GB | 273 GB/s | $4,699+ |
| GMKtec EVO-X2 | 128GB | 256 GB/s | $3,649 |
| Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra | 96GB | 819 GB/s | $5,299 — discontinued |
bandwidth sets tokens/sec — the spec most listings bury.
// why run AI locally
Own your AI compute
Cloud APIs charge per token and see every prompt. Local hardware gives you privacy, speed, and unlimited usage — on your terms.
Full data privacy
Your prompts, code, and data never leave your machine. No API logs, no third-party access, no compliance headaches.
Zero latency, no rate limits
Run inference at hardware speed — no API queues, no throttling, no waiting. Your models respond as fast as your box's memory bandwidth allows.
One-time cost, unlimited use
API bills compound monthly. Local hardware pays for itself. After the upfront investment, every inference is essentially free.
// the shift is happening
AI is moving to the edge
A new class of hardware is shipping built around unified memory. AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA's GB10 pack 128GB into a box you can hold; Apple's M-series runs 70B models with zero fan noise. Models that needed a multi-GPU rig now fit on a desk.
The hardware is ready. Open models like Llama, Qwen, and DeepSeek are closing the gap with cloud APIs, and Ollama and llama.cpp make local deployment trivial. The question isn't whether to run AI locally — it's which box to buy. We test, compare, and rank them for every budget, judged on the spec that decides token speed: memory bandwidth.
128GB
unified memory in a box you can hold
70B
models run locally on a mini PC
$0
per-token cost with local inference
256GB/s
bandwidth — the spec that sets token speed
// who are you
Find your setup
We recommend different hardware based on your experience and goals.
Solo Entrepreneur
Plug-and-play AI for your business
Technical IT Builder
Build your own AI compute rig
Small Business / Startup
AI compute for your growing team
// top picks
Featured hardware
Top-rated boxes for local AI — rated by our team.
$ which_box --model your-70b --budget yours
Ready to build your local-AI setup?
Our Buyer's Guide walks you through everything — from picking the right mini PC to running your first local model.
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