Free account = 1 chapter of every course unlocked
No credit card · Google sign-in in 30 seconds · 20+ free chapters across 22 courses
Start free →
All Courses/AI Hardware: Build, Buy & Size Your Local AI Machine
🖥️

AI Hardware: Build, Buy & Size Your Local AI Machine

The buyer's guide to running AI locally. How VRAM sets your ceiling, the 8/12/16/24GB ladder, NVIDIA vs AMD vs Apple vs NPU, real builds from $500 to multi-GPU, the used-market playbook, and a capstone to spec your own machine. Updated for the 2026 hardware market — decide before you spend a dollar.

12 chaptersFirst chapter free to preview

Full syllabus

1

Why Hardware Decides Everything

Free preview
Read free →
2

GPU Anatomy: VRAM, Bandwidth, and Compute

3

The VRAM Ladder: What Fits at 8, 12, 16, and 24GB+

4

System RAM, CPU, and Storage

5

NVIDIA vs AMD vs Apple Silicon vs NPU

6

Budget Builds: $500-900 That Actually Work

7

Mid-Range Builds: The $1,000-1,800 Sweet Spot

8

High-End and Multi-GPU: 70B at Home

9

Laptops and Mini-PCs for Local AI

10

The Used-Market Playbook

11

Benchmark Your Build

12

Capstone: Spec Your Own Machine

Unlock all 12 chapters

Plus 21 other courses — 507 more chapters included.

Compare all plans

Free Tools & Calculators