Best GPU for local LLMs in 2026
Short answer from the data below: VRAM decides what fits, memory bandwidth decides how fast it runs. In 2026 the popular local models are 20–35B (Qwen3.6, Qwen3.8 27B, Gemma 4 31B / 26B-A4B, gpt-oss 20B), which want 16–32 GB.
| GPU | VRAM GB | Bandwidth GB/s | Measured decode tok/s (2026 models) | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 3060 12GB | 12 | 360 | Gemma 4 12B: 38.5 LFM2.5 24B-A2B: 125 Qwen3.8 27B: 5.2-6.7 | ≈€429 new (2026-10-16, billiger.de) | llamabench |
| RTX 4060 Ti 16GB | 16 | 288 | LFM2.5 24B-A2B: 131-150 Qwen3.8 27B: 10.7-17.6 | see eBay used | llamabench |
| RTX 5070 Ti | 16 | 896 | Gemma 4 12B: 87.6 | ≈€1,188 new (2026-10-16, billiger.de) | llamabench |
| RTX 5080 | 16 | 960 | no 2026-model data yet | ≈€1,599 new (2026-10-16, billiger.de) | llamabench |
| RTX 3090 | 24 | 936 | Qwen3.6 35B-A3B: 146-153 Qwen3.6 27B: 40.2 Qwen3.8 27B: 38.2-71.6 | see eBay used | llamabench |
| RTX 4090 | 24 | 1008 | Qwen3.6 27B: 47.0 Gemma 4 31B: 43.8 Gemma 4 26B-A4B: 164 Gemma 4 12B: 98.1 | ≈€3,955 new (2026-10-16, billiger.de) | llamabench |
| RTX 5090 | 32 | 1792 | Qwen3.6 35B-A3B: 258 Qwen3.6 27B: 75.7 Gemma 4 31B: 70.0 Gemma 4 26B-A4B: 235 | ≈€6,199 new (2026-10-16, billiger.de) | llamabench |
| 2x RTX 3090 | 48 | no 2026-model data yet | see eBay used | ||
| Strix Halo / Radeon 8060S (96 GB unified) | 96 | 256 | Qwen3.6 35B-A3B: 50.2-62.4 | see eBay used | llamabench |
Speeds: community llama-bench (tg128, short context) results via llamabench.ai; quants vary per result, see source. VRAM and bandwidth as listed on llamabench.ai. Prices: lowest new listing on billiger.de, incl. VAT.
How to pick
- 12 GB (RTX 3060): Gemma 4 12B and small MoE like LFM2.5 24B-A2B run fast; 27B dense models crawl with offload (5–7 tok/s measured).
- 16 GB (5060 Ti / 5070 Ti / 5080): gpt-oss 20B runs fully on-GPU (see measured speeds); 27–31B dense needs a ~3-bit quant or offload. Use the calculator.
- 24 GB (RTX 3090 / 4090): the sweet spot for Qwen3.6 35B-A3B (139–153 tok/s measured on a 3090) and 27B dense at Q4. A used 3090 is the value pick, see the buying guide.
- 32 GB (RTX 5090): fastest single consumer card in our data: 258 tok/s Qwen3.6 35B-A3B, 70 tok/s Gemma 4 31B.
- 96 GB+ unified (Strix Halo, Mac Studio, DGX Spark): fits 70–120B models but at lower bandwidth, see Mac vs PC.
Not enough VRAM? Rent before you buy. Run Qwen3.6 or Gemma 4 on a rented 24–96 GB cloud GPU by the hour and see the real speed before spending €1,000+. Try it on RunPod
Referral link: RigBase may earn RunPod credit if you sign up. It never affects our data.
Referral link: RigBase may earn RunPod credit if you sign up. It never affects our data.
SPONSOR
Your brand here. One sponsor slot on this page, shown to people choosing AI hardware. Sponsor RigBase →
Your brand here. One sponsor slot on this page, shown to people choosing AI hardware. Sponsor RigBase →
Compare head-to-head: 4090 vs 5090 · 3090 vs 4090 · best value per euro (EU prices)