GPUs
Local AI Server Build: Hardware, Budgets, and Used GPU Picks
Memory prices tripled and used GPUs followed. Here is what a local AI server needs, three builds that still make sense, and how to run one without exposing your network.
ModemGuides BlogGuides for people who would rather own their hardware than rent it.
AI Infrastructure · Topic
Ollama
Every AI Infrastructure article tagged Ollama, newest first.
18 articles
Latest from Ollama
Reality check
Can You Run Muse Spark Open Locally? Yes on One Mac Studio, Not Through Ollama
Meta's 816B open model runs on one Mac Studio from 176GB. Ollama's version is cloud-only, the license has strings, and smaller models score higher.
Reality check
Can You Run Mistral Large 4 Locally? Only on 512GB, and Not Until the Weights Ship
Mistral Large 4's weights land at the end of October. At an estimated 400GB for 2-bit, one 512GB Mac Studio clears the bar. Here is the full math.
Reality check
Can You Run Aleph Alpha's Kolibri-1 Locally? Yes, on 48GB — Not in Ollama Yet
Kolibri-1 is a 78B model that thinks like a 3.5B one. Here is what runs it at home today, how fast, and why Ollama and LM Studio can't load it yet.
Reality check
Can You Run Qwen 4 27B Locally? What the Announcement Changes for Home Hardware
Qwen 4 27B was named on stage September 22, not shipped. The Qwen3.8-27B hardware baseline, what the new architecture could change, and what to wait for.
Buying guide
Best Local AI Models by VRAM and Memory: 8GB to 512GB (2026)
Find your memory number and get the verified pick for it. Six tiers from an 8GB card to a 512GB Mac Studio, sizes sourced, licenses checked, October 2026.
Reality check
Can You Run GLM-5.3-Flash Locally? Real GGUF Sizes and Speeds (Oct 2026)
Mainline llama.cpp now runs GLM-5.3-Flash. Real GGUF sizes, measured 128GB speeds, and why Ollama's version is cloud-only.
VRAM
Run DeepSeek V4-Flash Locally: Hardware Requirements 2026
The 0731 weights are out and the tier map is current: 103GB build on mainline llama.cpp, LM Studio gone local, and the M5 Mac Studio math.
Buying guide
Local AI Hardware in 2026: GPUs, VRAM, and Honest Build Tiers for the Memory-Shortage Era
Which GPU and how much VRAM for local AI in 2026 — honest build tiers repriced for the memory shortage, from used RTX 3090 to Apple Silicon.
Buying guide
The Mac Studio M5 Ultra Is Official: What 512GB Actually Runs, and Who Should Buy One
Apple's Mac Studio M5 Ultra is official: 512GB max, not 768GB. Which local AI models fit, the cluster math, and whether to buy, wait, or skip.
Reality check
Has Open-Source AI Actually Caught Up? The 2026 Reality Check
Open models now sit in the frontier top five, but half the viral scoreboard is unshipped. The verified ledger, the price math, and what runs at home.
Memory prices
The AI Compute Wall: Power, Chips, and Why Owning Your AI Stack Is the Hedge
The viral RAND chart, explained without the geopolitics: why AI's power and chip limits are already raising your costs, and the local-first hedge.
How-to
Self-Verifying AI Agent Loops: What's Real, What's Hype, and How to Run One
A self-verifying AI agent loop checks its own work against live sources. Here is the real technique behind the viral Kimi swarm, minus the hype.
Reality check
The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 for Local LLMs: An Honest Reality Check
The honest tokens-per-second, the $1,499-vs-$2,200 SKU trap, the Linux memory unlock, and whether a Strix Halo box can replace your Claude Code bill.
Local AI
Local LLM Knowledge Base in Obsidian: Setup Guide
Andrej Karpathy's LLM Wiki pattern lets an AI build and maintain a structured knowledge base from your documents. Here's how to set it up locally with Obsidian and Ollama — no cloud services, no data leaving your network.
Agents
Self-Improving AI Agents Are Here: What AutoAgent Means for Your Local AI Stack
AutoAgent proves AI agents can autonomously modify their own tools and behavior. What self-improving agents mean for your local AI stack and home network security.
How-to
How to Build a Local AI Knowledge Base You Actually Own
Build a private, local-first AI knowledge base using Obsidian, Ollama, and AnythingLLM. Your research stays on your network with zero monthly fees.
How-to
Network Security for Local AI: How to Isolate, Harden, and Protect Your Home AI Deployments
Running AI locally keeps your data private, but default configurations can leave your home network vulnerable. Learn how to protect your deployment from exposed APIs, prompt injection, and supply chain attacks by isolating and hardening tools like Ollama, OpenClaw, and n8n.