# InsiderLLM

> Practical guides for running AI locally on consumer hardware. Budget-focused, no fluff.

InsiderLLM helps hobbyists and developers run large language models and image generators on their own hardware. We focus on what actually works with the GPUs and computers people already own.

## Hardware & GPU Guides

- [GPU Buying Guide for Local AI](https://insiderllm.com/guides/gpu-buying-guide-local-ai/): Which GPU to buy for running LLMs locally, with price/performance analysis
- [Best GPU Under $300 for Local AI](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-gpu-under-300-local-ai/): RTX 3060 12GB vs RX 7600 vs Arc B580 comparison
- [Best GPU Under $500 for Local AI](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-gpu-under-500-local-ai/): RTX 4060 Ti 16GB vs used RTX 3080 vs RTX 3060 12GB
- [RTX 3060 vs 3060 Ti vs 3070 for Local AI](https://insiderllm.com/guides/rtx-3060-vs-3060ti-vs-3070-local-ai/): Mid-range NVIDIA comparison for LLM inference and image generation
- [Used RTX 3090 Buying Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/used-rtx-3090-buying-guide/): How to buy a used 3090 safely for local AI
- [Used GPU Buying Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/used-gpu-buying-guide-local-ai/): General guide for buying used GPUs on eBay/Marketplace
- [Best Used GPUs for Local AI 2026](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-used-gpus-local-ai-2026/): RTX 3090, 3080, 3060 and AMD options with fair prices
- [RTX 3090 vs 4070 Ti Super for Local LLMs](https://insiderllm.com/guides/rtx-3090-vs-4070-ti-super-local-llms/): Head-to-head comparison for local LLMs
- [AMD vs NVIDIA for Local AI](https://insiderllm.com/guides/amd-vs-nvidia-local-ai-rocm/): Honest comparison of GPU ecosystems and ROCm
- [Budget AI PC Under $500](https://insiderllm.com/guides/budget-local-ai-pc-500/): Building a capable local AI machine cheaply
- [NVIDIA GPU Prices Are Rising](https://insiderllm.com/guides/nvidia-gpu-prices-rising-2025/): GDDR7 shortages, price spikes, and strategies for local AI builders
- [RTX 5060 Ti 16GB Alternatives](https://insiderllm.com/guides/rtx-5060-ti-16gb-local-ai-options/): Production cuts and the best GPU options remaining
- [GB10 Boxes Compared](https://insiderllm.com/guides/gb10-boxes-compared/): DGX Spark vs Dell vs ASUS vs MSI — same chip, real benchmarks, thermals, pricing
- [Multi-GPU Local AI](https://insiderllm.com/guides/multi-gpu-local-ai/): Tensor parallelism, pipeline parallelism, and practical dual-GPU setups
- [Multi-GPU Setups: Worth It?](https://insiderllm.com/guides/multi-gpu-worth-it/): When dual GPUs make sense, when they don't, and what actually scales
- [Razer AIKit Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/razer-aikit-guide/): Multi-GPU Docker stack with vLLM, Ray, LlamaFactory, and Grafana monitoring

## VRAM Requirements

- [VRAM Requirements Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/vram-requirements-local-llms/): How much VRAM you need for different model sizes
- [Mixtral 8x7B & 8x22B VRAM Requirements](https://insiderllm.com/guides/mixtral-8x7b-8x22b-vram-requirements/): Exact VRAM at every quantization for both Mixtral MoE models
- [What Can You Run on 4GB VRAM](https://insiderllm.com/guides/what-can-you-run-4gb-vram/): Models and settings for entry-level GPUs
- [What Can You Run on 8GB VRAM](https://insiderllm.com/guides/what-can-you-run-8gb-vram/): Best models for RTX 3060/4060 class cards
- [What Can You Run on 12GB VRAM](https://insiderllm.com/guides/what-can-you-run-12gb-vram/): Options for RTX 3060 12GB and similar
- [What Can You Run on 16GB VRAM](https://insiderllm.com/guides/what-can-you-run-16gb-vram/): Best models for RTX 4060 Ti 16GB
- [What Can You Run on 24GB VRAM](https://insiderllm.com/guides/what-can-you-run-24gb-vram/): Maximizing RTX 3090/4090 capabilities

## Platform Guides

- [Mac vs PC for Local AI](https://insiderllm.com/guides/mac-vs-pc-local-ai/): Apple Silicon vs discrete GPU comparison
- [Running LLMs on Mac M-Series](https://insiderllm.com/guides/running-llms-mac-m-series/): M1 through M4 guide — models by memory tier, MLX vs Ollama
- [Best Local LLMs for Mac 2026](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-llms-mac-2026/): Model picks for every Mac tier from 8GB M1 to 128GB M4 Max
- [Laptop vs Desktop for Local AI](https://insiderllm.com/guides/laptop-vs-desktop-local-ai/): Tradeoffs for portable vs stationary setups
- [CPU-Only LLMs](https://insiderllm.com/guides/cpu-only-llms-what-actually-works/): Running models without a GPU

## Software & Tools

- [Run Your First Local LLM](https://insiderllm.com/guides/run-first-local-llm/): Beginner tutorial using Ollama
- [Ollama vs LM Studio](https://insiderllm.com/guides/ollama-vs-lm-studio/): Comparison of the two most popular local AI tools
- [Ollama Troubleshooting Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/ollama-troubleshooting-guide/): Common errors and fixes
- [Managing Multiple Models in Ollama](https://insiderllm.com/guides/managing-multiple-models-ollama/): Storage, switching, cleanup, and running multiple models simultaneously
- [LM Studio Tips & Tricks](https://insiderllm.com/guides/lm-studio-tips-and-tricks/): Hidden features and optimization
- [Open WebUI Setup Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/open-webui-setup-guide/): ChatGPT-like interface for local models
- [AnythingLLM Setup Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/anythingllm-setup-guide/): All-in-one local AI workspace with RAG, agents, and multi-model support
- [llama.cpp vs Ollama vs vLLM](https://insiderllm.com/guides/llamacpp-vs-ollama-vs-vllm/): When to use each inference engine
- [Text Generation WebUI (Oobabooga) Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/text-generation-webui-oobabooga-guide/): The power user's local AI interface
- [Quantization Explained](https://insiderllm.com/guides/llm-quantization-explained/): Q4, Q5, Q8 and what they mean for quality
- [Context Length Explained](https://insiderllm.com/guides/context-length-explained/): What it is, why it eats VRAM, and when you need 128K+
- [Model Formats Explained](https://insiderllm.com/guides/model-formats-explained-gguf-gptq-awq-exl2/): GGUF vs GPTQ vs AWQ vs EXL2
- [Voice Chat with Local LLMs](https://insiderllm.com/guides/voice-chat-local-llms-whisper-tts/): Whisper + TTS setup
- [Local AI Troubleshooting Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/local-ai-troubleshooting-guide/): Fix model loading, slow generation, CUDA errors, and quality issues
- [Running AI Offline](https://insiderllm.com/guides/running-ai-offline-complete-guide/): Air-gapped setups for field work, travel, and restricted environments
- [Structured Output from Local LLMs](https://insiderllm.com/guides/structured-output-local-llms/): Force JSON, YAML, and schema-validated output from local models

## Model Guides

- [Llama 3 Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/llama-3-guide-every-size/): Complete guide to Llama 3.1/3.2/3.3 from 1B to 405B
- [Qwen Models Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/qwen-models-guide/): Alibaba's Qwen 3, Qwen 2.5 Coder, and Qwen-VL
- [DeepSeek Models Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/deepseek-models-guide/): DeepSeek R1 distills, V3, and Coder
- [Mistral & Mixtral Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/mistral-mixtral-guide/): Mistral 7B, Nemo 12B, Mixtral 8x7B, and Codestral
- [Gemma Models Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/gemma-models-guide/): Google's Gemma 3, Gemma 2, CodeGemma, and PaliGemma
- [Phi Models Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/phi-models-guide/): Microsoft's Phi-4, Phi-3.5, and Phi-3 — small models that punch above their weight
- [Best Models Under 3B](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-models-under-3b-parameters/): Tiny models for edge devices
- [Vision Models Locally](https://insiderllm.com/guides/vision-models-locally/): Qwen2.5-VL, Gemma 3, Llama 3.2 Vision, and Moondream compared
- [Embedding Models for RAG](https://insiderllm.com/guides/embedding-models-rag/): nomic-embed-text, Qwen3-Embedding, bge-m3 — chunking strategies and vector databases
- [Best Uncensored Local LLMs](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-uncensored-local-llms/): Dolphin, abliterated models, and uncensored fine-tunes by VRAM tier

## Use Case Guides

- [Best Models for Coding](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-coding-models-2026/): Code completion and generation locally
- [Best Models for Math & Reasoning](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-llms-math-reasoning/): DeepSeek R1, Qwen thinking mode, Phi-4
- [Best Models for Writing](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-llms-writing-creative-work/): Creative writing and content generation
- [Best Models for Chat](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-llms-chat-conversation/): Conversational assistants
- [Best Models for Translation](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-llms-translation/): Machine translation with local models by language pair
- [Best Models for Data Analysis](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-llms-data-analysis/): Local models for CSV, SQL, pandas, and structured data tasks
- [Best Local LLMs for Summarization](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-llms-summarization/): Condense documents privately with model picks, chunking strategies, and tools
- [Local RAG Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/local-rag-search-documents-private-ai/): Search your documents with private AI
- [Best Local LLMs for RAG](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-llms-rag/): Model picks by VRAM tier, embedding models, and RAG failure modes

## Image & Video Generation

- [Stable Diffusion Locally](https://insiderllm.com/guides/stable-diffusion-locally-getting-started/): Getting started with local image generation
- [Flux Locally](https://insiderllm.com/guides/flux-locally-complete-guide/): Running Flux image models on your hardware
- [ComfyUI vs Automatic1111 vs Fooocus](https://insiderllm.com/guides/comfyui-vs-automatic1111-vs-fooocus/): Which SD interface to use
- [Local AI Video Generation](https://insiderllm.com/guides/local-ai-video-generation/): Wan, HunyuanVideo, LTX-Video, CogVideoX with VRAM requirements
- [AI Art Styles & Workflows Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/ai-art-styles-workflows-guide/): Specific art styles locally with model picks, LoRAs, and prompts
- [ControlNet Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/controlnet-guide-beginners/): Precise image control with Canny, OpenPose, Depth for SD 1.5, SDXL, and Flux

## Cost & Comparisons

- [How Much Does It Cost to Run LLMs Locally?](https://insiderllm.com/guides/cost-to-run-llms-locally/): Hardware, electricity, and API cost comparison
- [Free Local AI vs Paid Cloud APIs](https://insiderllm.com/guides/local-ai-vs-cloud-api-cost/): Break-even math, current API pricing, and when local hardware pays for itself
- [Token Audit Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/token-audit-guide/): Track what AI APIs actually cost you
- [Stop Using Frontier AI for Everything](https://insiderllm.com/guides/tiered-ai-model-strategy/): Tiered model strategy — local, Haiku, Sonnet, Opus
- [Local LLMs vs ChatGPT](https://insiderllm.com/guides/local-llms-vs-chatgpt-honest-comparison/): Honest comparison of local vs cloud
- [Local LLMs vs Claude](https://insiderllm.com/guides/local-llms-vs-claude/): When to use Anthropic's Claude vs running your own models

## Privacy & Security

- [Local AI Privacy Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/local-ai-privacy-guide/): What's actually private, what leaks, and how to lock down your local AI setup
- [Fine-Tuning LLMs on Consumer Hardware](https://insiderllm.com/guides/fine-tuning-local-lora-qlora/): LoRA and QLoRA guide for training on your own GPU

## OpenClaw

- [OpenClaw Setup Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/openclaw-setup-guide/): Running a local AI agent on your hardware
- [How OpenClaw Actually Works](https://insiderllm.com/guides/how-openclaw-works/): Gateway, input types, event loop, and why it's not magic
- [Best Local Models for OpenClaw](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-local-models-openclaw/): Which Ollama models work for AI agent tasks
- [OpenClaw Plugins & Skills Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/openclaw-plugins-skills-guide/): The 3,000+ skill ecosystem — what to install, what to avoid
- [OpenClaw ClawHub Security Alert](https://insiderllm.com/guides/openclaw-clawhub-security-alert/): 341 malicious skills — Atomic Stealer malware and credential theft
- [ClawHub Malware Alert](https://insiderllm.com/guides/clawhub-malware-alert/): Top skill was malware — Cisco scanner, MoldBot leak, action plan
- [OpenClaw Security Guide](https://insiderllm.com/guides/openclaw-security-guide/): Security risks and hardening for AI agents
- [OpenClaw Token Optimization](https://insiderllm.com/guides/openclaw-token-optimization/): Cut AI agent API costs by 97%
- [OpenClaw vs Commercial AI Agents](https://insiderllm.com/guides/openclaw-vs-commercial-ai-agents/): Open source vs Lindy, Rabbit R1, and commercial platforms
- [Best OpenClaw Tools and Extensions](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-openclaw-tools-extensions/): Crabwalk, Mission Control, Tokscale, and community-built utilities
- [Best OpenClaw Alternatives in 2026](https://insiderllm.com/guides/best-openclaw-alternatives/): Nanobot, NanoClaw, mini-claw, memU, and Moltworker compared

## Distributed AI / Open Source

- [What Open Source Was Supposed to Be](https://insiderllm.com/guides/what-open-source-was-supposed-to-be/): Llama, Mistral, and the gap between 'open weights' and real open source
- [Why mycoSwarm Was Born](https://insiderllm.com/guides/why-mycoswarm-was-born/): The problem with single-GPU inference and how distributed swarms fix it
- [mycoSwarm vs Exo vs Petals vs Nanobot](https://insiderllm.com/guides/mycoswarm-vs-exo-vs-petals-vs-nanobot/): Distributed inference frameworks compared — architecture, hardware support, and tradeoffs

## Blog

- [Week 1: First Three GPUs Online](https://insiderllm.com/blog/week-1-first-three-gpus-online/): mycoSwarm progress — Ollama + llama.cpp nodes running, mDNS discovery working
- [Week 2: Raspberry Pi Joins the Swarm](https://insiderllm.com/blog/week-2-raspberry-pi-joins-swarm/): mycoSwarm progress — Pi 5 node, capability-based routing, 8 tok/s from a $80 board

## Contact

Website: https://insiderllm.com