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: if you sign up with Google and add $10, Runpod gives you and RigBase bonus credit (terms). It never affects our data.
Referral link: if you sign up with Google and add $10, Runpod gives you and RigBase bonus credit (terms). It never affects our data.
Compare head-to-head: 4090 vs 5090 · 3090 vs 4090 · best value per euro (EU prices) · AMD Radeon (R9700, 7900 XTX, Strix Halo)