February 23, 2026
$1,300 Hardware Guide: Maximum Local LLM Power in 2026
Three build tiers, real prices, zero hype. Here's what to buy and where to find it.
Building a local LLM rig doesn't require a second mortgage. Whether you've got $500 or $2,000 lying around, here's the honest breakdown of what gets you the most AI horsepower per dollar in 2026.
Quick note: Prices fluctuate. Newegg, Amazon, and eBay change daily. Used prices assume "good" condition from r/hardwareswap or Facebook Marketplace. All prices in USD.
The GPU Breakdown: Every Card You Need to Know
| GPU | VRAM | New Price | Used Price | LLM Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 3060 12GB | 12GB | $280 | $180 | Budget king |
| RTX 3070 | 8GB | $380 | $250 | Solid entry |
| RTX 3070 Ti | 8GB | $420 | $280 | Slight upgrade |
| RTX 3080 10GB | 10GB | $550 | $350 | Sweet spot 10GB |
| RTX 3080 12GB | 12GB | $650 | $420 | Best value |
| RTX 3090 | 24GB | $1,000 | $700 | 24GB value |
| RTX 4060 Ti 16GB | 16GB | $550 | $400 | 16GB budget |
| RTX 4070 | 12GB | $600 | $450 | Efficient mid |
| RTX 4070 Super | 12GB | $700 | $520 | Better 4070 |
| RTX 4080 Super | 16GB | $1,000 | $750 | 16GB premium |
| RTX 4090 | 24GB | $1,800 | $1,400 | Maximum power |
| RTX 5070 Ti | 16GB | $750 | $650* | New 16GB option |
| RTX 5090 | 32GB | $2,000 | N/A* | 32GB king |
* RTX 50 series prices are launch MSRP. Used market still forming.
$500 Budget: Entry Level
Recommended Build
- GPU: RTX 3060 12GB — $180-200 used
- System RAM: 16GB minimum (32GB recommended)
- CPU: Any 6+ core (Ryzen 5 5600 / Intel i5-12400)
- Storage: 500GB SSD (NMVe preferred)
- Total: ~$350-400
What You Can Run
- Qwen2.5-7B — Q4_K_M: 25-30 tokens/sec
- Qwen2.5-14B — Q3_K_L: 15-18 tokens/sec
- Llama-3.1-8B — Q4_K_M: 20-25 tokens/sec
- DeepSeek-R1-Distill-8B — Q4_K_M: 18-22 tokens/sec
The 12GB VRAM on the RTX 3060 is the steal of 2026. It lets you run 7B models at higher quantizations or push into 14B territory with aggressive quantization. Not fast, but it works.
$1,000 Budget: The Sweet Spot
Recommended Build
- Option A (12GB VRAM): RTX 3080 12GB — $400-450 used
- Option B (16GB VRAM): RTX 4060 Ti 16GB — $400 new
- System RAM: 32GB (non-negotiable)
- CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 / Intel i5-12600K
- Storage: 1TB NVMe
- Total: ~$850-1,000
What You Can Run
- Qwen2.5-14B — Q4_K_M: 30-40 tokens/sec
- DeepSeek-R1-Distill-14B — Q4_K_M: 25-35 tokens/sec
- Llama-3.1-70B — Q2_K: 12-15 tokens/sec (14B params in VRAM)
- Qwen2.5-32B — Q3_K_M: 15-20 tokens/sec
The RTX 3080 12GB is still the best value in 2026. Period. It beats the 4060 Ti 16GB in raw compute and typically costs the same or less on the used market. If you need 16GB specifically for larger context windows, the 4060 Ti 16GB is your only new-card option under $600.
$2,000 Budget: No Compromises
Recommended Build
- Option A (24GB): RTX 3090 — $700-800 used
- Option B (24GB): RTX 4090 — $1,400-1,600 used
- Option C (32GB): RTX 5090 — $2,000 new
- System RAM: 64GB (seriously, get 64GB)
- CPU: Ryzen 7 7800X3D / Intel i7-14700K
- Storage: 2TB NVMe
- Total: ~$1,500-2,200
What You Can Run
- Qwen2.5-32B — Q5_K_M: 35-45 tokens/sec
- DeepSeek-R1-70B — Q4_K_M: 20-28 tokens/sec
- Llama-3.1-405B — Q2_K: 10-15 tokens/sec (70B in VRAM)
- Qwen3-70B — Q4_K_M: 22-30 tokens/sec
The RTX 3090 at $700-800 used is the value champion. Twenty-four gigabytes of VRAM at that price is absurd. The 4090 is faster but nearly double the cost. The 5090 gets you 32GB — useful for running the largest models with higher quantizations, but the 24GB cards still handle most use cases well.
System RAM: The Thing Nobody Talks About
Even with GPU offloading, you need system RAM:
| GPU VRAM | Minimum System RAM | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| 8GB | 16GB | 32GB |
| 12GB | 16GB | 32GB |
| 16GB | 32GB | 48GB |
| 24GB | 32GB | 64GB |
| 32GB | 48GB | 64GB+ |
The model lives partially in system RAM when GPU VRAM isn't enough. Without sufficient system RAM, you'll hit swapping which kills performance completely. Don't cheap out here.
Where to Buy
New
- Newegg — Best for RTX 40 series and newer 50 series
- Amazon — Good for price matching, watch for scams on third-party
- Best Buy — In-store availability, often MSRP
- Micro Center — If you have one nearby, great deals
Used (Recommended)
- r/hardwareswap — Most reliable, check seller history
- Facebook Marketplace — Local deals, inspect in person
- eBay — Buyer protection, but prices often higher
- Twitter/X GPU sales — Follow GPU arbitrage accounts
Warning: Used GPU market has scammers. Always use PayPal Goods & Services. Ask for GPU-Z screenshots. Test immediately upon delivery. If a deal seems too good, it is.
The TL;DR
- $500 budget: RTX 3060 12GB used ($180) + 16GB RAM
- $1,000 budget: RTX 3080 12GB used ($420) + 32GB RAM
- $2,000 budget: RTX 3090 used ($750) or RTX 4090 ($1,500) + 64GB RAM
- Best value card: RTX 3080 12GB, period
- Maximum VRAM per dollar: RTX 3090
Go build your rig. For more details on what models to run on each tier, check our consumer GPU benchmark post.