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MLX hits 85 tok/s on M4 Max versus llama.cpp's 62 tok/s, but 15,000+ GGUF models beat MLX's smaller pool. Choose MLX at 48 GB+ for speed, stay on llama.cpp under 36 GB or for cross-platform work.
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Article Your $2,000 rig now runs 27B models at 82.3 MMLU-pro—matching 2024's 70B class—while 13B-27B models cut VRAM needs 38%. Here's which tier to buy, which tasks still need scale, and why multi-GPU break-even hit 4+ years.
Article Stuck at 24GB VRAM since 2020—70B models need 140GB FP16, but MoE loads 37B active in 14GB and Q4_K_M keeps 97% MMLU. Three hardware tiers from $999 to $3,900, one clear winner for most builders.
Technical Report DeepSeek V4's 400GB VRAM demand breaks most builds—32B distilled fits RTX 4090, 70B needs dual-GPU, 671B demands 8× setup. Match model to hardware tier before you buy.
Architecture Guide A dual-GPU PC build is the most cost-effective way to run 70B models at desktop speed. Two used RTX 3090s with NVLink gives you 48GB combined VRAM for under $3,000.
Architecture Guide Three tiers of local inference — desktop GPU, Apple Silicon, mobile NPU. Where each wins, what they actually run, and how to pick a stack.
Workflow Stop switching models manually. Auto-route 7B for chat, 70B for code—34 tok/s vs 11 tok/s. Needs 22 GB VRAM, 3 Ollama instances. Here's the YAML.
Article Qwen 2.5 and DeepSeek models deliver more capability per GB than Western equivalents through two distinct mechanisms. Here's how to size your next GPU build around them.
Architecture Guide 8GB GPU runs Mistral 3 3B. 24GB fits Mistral Large 3. Complete VRAM table, benchmarks, and the tier that hits 30+ tok/s without buying new hardware.
Troubleshooting ROCm doesn't run on Windows—your RX 7900 XTX sits idle at 4 tok/s. Force Vulkan backend: 18 tok/s on 70B models. Requires typo env var, Adrenalin 24.12.1+.
Technical Report RTX 5080 dropped to $1,249 in April 2026—$250 under MSRP. GDDR7 yield pressure signals deeper cuts ahead. Buy now or wait for $999? Full TCO analysis inside.
Architecture Guide iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S25 run 7B models offline. Here's which apps work, which model sizes are actually usable, and where mobile genuinely wins.
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