What is the best GPU for running AI models locally?

The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is the best overall GPU for local AI inference with 96GB VRAM and 142 tok/s on Qwen3 32B Q4. For consumers, the RTX 5090 offers 32GB VRAM at $1,999. For best value, the used RTX 3090 provides 24GB VRAM under $800.

How much VRAM do I need to run Qwen3 72B?

Qwen3 72B requires approximately 42GB VRAM at Q4_K_M quantization, 78GB at Q8_0, and 144GB at FP16. At Q4, the RTX PRO 6000 (96GB), DGX Spark (128GB), M4 Max (128GB), M3 Ultra (512GB) can all run it. At Q8, you'll need at least 96GB VRAM.

What is the cheapest GPU for local AI inference?

The used GeForce RTX 3090 is the best value GPU for local AI inference, available under $800 with 24GB VRAM. It can run Qwen3 32B at Q4_K_M quantization at 64 tok/s. For more VRAM on a budget, the NVIDIA DGX Spark offers 128GB unified memory at $3,999.

RTX 5090 vs RTX PRO 6000 for local inference?

The RTX 5090 ($1,999) has 32GB VRAM and achieves 138 tok/s on Qwen3 32B Q4. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell ($8,499) has 96GB VRAM and achieves 142 tok/s. The PRO 6000 is 4x the price but 3x the VRAM — choose based on whether you need to run 70B+ parameter models unquantized.

New · Blackwell PRO 6000 addedv0.4.1

The GPU index
for local inference

Independent benchmarks across consumer cards, workstation Blackwell, Apple Silicon, and DGX Spark. Find the cheapest hardware that fits the model you actually want to run.

The GPU indexfor local inference

The shortlist

RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell

GeForce RTX 5090

GeForce RTX 3090

Apple M3 Ultra

Qwen3 32Bat Q4_K_M

Pick a model.See what runs it.

From the lab

Running Qwen3 235B on a single Mac Studio

RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell vs H100: which one for your home lab?

The 2026 used RTX 3090 buyer's guide

gpuhunter CLI

The GPU index
for local inference

Qwen3 32B
at Q4_K_M

Pick a model.
See what runs it.