{"as_of":"2026-10-12","license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","cite_as":"The Local Bench (thelocalbench.com), data as of 2026-10-12, CC BY 4.0","source_url":"https://thelocalbench.com","builds":[{"id":"value-16gb","name":"Value 16 GB","label":"Best under $1,200","hardware":"rtx-5060-ti-16g","summary":"A new 16 GB card in a plain AM5 tower. Runs every 14B model at Q4 with long context, and gpt-oss-20b at full speed.","reference_models":["qwen3-14b","gpt-oss-20b","llama-3.1-8b"],"idle_watts":45,"parts":[{"role":"GPU","name":"GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB","usd":479},{"role":"CPU","name":"Ryzen 5 7600","usd":189},{"role":"Motherboard","name":"B650 micro-ATX","usd":129},{"role":"Memory","name":"32 GB DDR5-6000 (2×16)","usd":109},{"role":"Storage","name":"2 TB NVMe Gen4","usd":119},{"role":"PSU","name":"650 W 80+ Gold","usd":79},{"role":"Case","name":"Mesh mid-tower","usd":69}],"flag":"sample","note":"Sample parts and prices for layout; not tracked retailer prices.","total_usd":1173,"electricity_usd_month":8.55,"break_even_months_200":6.1},{"id":"used-3090-24gb","name":"Used-3090 24 GB","label":"Editors' pick","hardware":"rtx-3090-24g-used","summary":"The reference rig. A used RTX 3090 gives 24 GB at 936 GB/s, enough for every 24–32B model at Q4.","reference_models":["gemma-3-27b","qwen3-30b-a3b","mistral-small-3.2-24b"],"idle_watts":70,"parts":[{"role":"GPU","name":"GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB (used","eBay sold median)":null,"usd":1200,"flag":"sourced","source":"https://www.getpcparts.com/market-prices/gpu-graphics-cards/rtx-3090"},{"role":"CPU","name":"Ryzen 5 7600","usd":189},{"role":"Motherboard","name":"B650 ATX","usd":149},{"role":"Memory","name":"64 GB DDR5-6000 (2×32)","usd":189},{"role":"Storage","name":"2 TB NVMe Gen4","usd":119},{"role":"PSU","name":"850 W 80+ Gold","usd":109},{"role":"Case","name":"Mesh mid-tower","usd":25}],"flag":"sample","note":"GPU price is sourced (eBay sold, Oct 2026); other parts are sample.","total_usd":1980,"electricity_usd_month":13.86,"break_even_months_200":10.6},{"id":"mac-studio-unified","name":"Mac Studio M5 Max","label":"Quietest","hardware":"mac-studio-m5-max","summary":"No build, no noise. The base Mac Studio runs 27B-class models at Q4 and sits silently on a desk.","reference_models":["gemma-3-27b","qwen3-14b","gpt-oss-20b"],"idle_watts":12,"parts":[{"role":"System","name":"Mac Studio M5 Max (base configuration)","usd":2499,"flag":"sourced","source":"https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/08/apple-introduces-new-mac-studio-with-m5-max-and-m5-ultra/"}],"flag":"sample","note":"Price is sourced (Apple, Aug 2026); base memory and bandwidth are sample.","total_usd":2499,"electricity_usd_month":3.78,"break_even_months_200":12.7},{"id":"strix-halo-128gb","name":"Strix Halo SFF 128 GB","label":"Most memory per dollar","hardware":"ryzen-ai-max-395-128g","summary":"128 GB of unified memory in a mini PC. Holds gpt-oss-120b with room to spare; dense 70B models are slow.","reference_models":["gpt-oss-120b","qwen3-30b-a3b","llama-3.3-70b"],"idle_watts":15,"parts":[{"role":"System","name":"Ryzen AI Max+ 395 mini PC","128 GB":null,"usd":3499.99,"flag":"sourced","source":"https://computingforgeeks.com/ryzen-ai-max-395-mini-pc-comparison/"}],"flag":"sourced","note":"Price from CFG (Oct 2026); 120 W load is the brief's break-even assumption.","total_usd":3499.99,"electricity_usd_month":3.51,"break_even_months_200":17.8},{"id":"dual-gpu-48gb","name":"Dual-GPU 48 GB","label":"70B at home","hardware":"2x-rtx-3090-48g-used","summary":"Two used 3090s split a 70B model by layers. Capacity doubles; single-stream bandwidth does not.","reference_models":["llama-3.3-70b","qwen3-32b","gemma-3-27b"],"idle_watts":110,"parts":[{"role":"GPU","name":"2× GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB (used)","usd":2400},{"role":"CPU","name":"Ryzen 9 7900","usd":349},{"role":"Motherboard","name":"X670E ATX (x8/x8)","usd":299},{"role":"Memory","name":"128 GB DDR5-5600 (4×32)","usd":359},{"role":"Storage","name":"4 TB NVMe Gen4","usd":229},{"role":"PSU","name":1,"300 W 80+ Platinum":null,"usd":249},{"role":"Case","name":"Full tower","airflow":null,"usd":159}],"flag":"sample","note":"Sample parts and prices for layout.","total_usd":4044,"electricity_usd_month":23.94,"break_even_months_200":23},{"id":"silent-home-server","name":"Silent home server","label":"Always on","hardware":"rtx-4060-ti-16g","summary":"A low-power 16 GB box for an always-on household assistant. Tuned for idle draw, not peak speed.","reference_models":["qwen3-8b","gpt-oss-20b","qwen3-14b"],"idle_watts":30,"parts":[{"role":"GPU","name":"GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB (power-limited to 150 W)","usd":449},{"role":"CPU","name":"Ryzen 5 8600G","usd":179},{"role":"Motherboard","name":"B650 mini-ITX","usd":169},{"role":"Memory","name":"32 GB DDR5-5600 (2×16)","usd":99},{"role":"Storage","name":"2 TB NVMe Gen4","usd":119},{"role":"PSU","name":"550 W SFX 80+ Platinum","usd":129},{"role":"Case","name":"Fanless-friendly ITX case","usd":139}],"flag":"sample","note":"Sample parts and prices for layout.","total_usd":1283,"electricity_usd_month":6.84,"break_even_months_200":6.6}]}