can you run local AI without a GPU? Yes — here's what CPU-only actually gets you

You don't need a graphics card to run a local AI. A modern CPU with enough RAM runs small models fine — just slowly. Here's what's realistic, which… Aliteq Lena Fischer · AI & Local Compute Editor

No GPU needed — a modern CPU runs 3-8B models via Ollama/llama.cpp, using system RAM.

Realistic speed: Phi-4 Mini ~12 tok/s, Llama 3.2 3B ~10 tok/s, small Gemma ~15 tok/s — usable for chat.

~10-30× slower than a GPU — fine for casual use, painful for heavy or long-context work.

Stick to small models — 3-8B is the CPU sweet spot; 13B is slow (~5-8 tok/s), bigger is impractical.

Uses RAM, not VRAM — you need enough system RAM, 16GB is a comfortable start.

Buy a GPU only when speed or larger models actually matter to you.

Read the full story

Aliteq can you run local AI without a GPU? Yes — here's what CPU-only actually gets you Read the full story on Aliteq