the local AI workstation that runs 70B models: the ~$3,500 build, and the smarter way to spend it

To run a 70-billion-parameter model at home you need ~48GB of VRAM. Here's the build that gets you there — and why two cheaper cards beat one… Aliteq Ravi Malhotra · Hardware Editor

A local-AI workstation for 70B models needs ~48GB of VRAM. The value build uses two RTX 4090s (48GB combined, ~$3,200) — cheaper and more capable than a single 48GB workstation card — on a platform…

70B needs ~48GB VRAM — that means dual GPUs on a consumer platform.

Value build: 2× RTX 4090 (48GB, ~$3,200) — beats a single 48GB workstation card.

Cheaper still: 2× RTX 3090 (48GB, ~$2,000) — slower but hits the capacity.

Platform: 64GB+ RAM, 1200W+ PSU, big airflow — two cards run hot.

Single 5090 (32GB) can't hold 70B at Q4 — it's a 32B card; go dual for 70B.

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