GUIDE BY CAPACITY
With 17–20 GB,
here is what really runs.
Experiences reported by people using their machines every day. The figure is the reported setup capacity; multi-GPU and unified-memory layouts can behave differently.
2documented uses
in this range
in this range
Business automation
Every business app points at a local model on an RX 9060 XT
To keep email and business data away from cloud providers, this owner runs an abliterated Qwen 27B on an RX 9060 XT with a vision model on an old GTX 1650.
Business automation
Running a small e-commerce business on Qwen 3.8 27B
A cloned five-store e-commerce operation — cart, mailings, WhatsApp login, payment gateways — runs day to day on a single 7900XT, turning a real monthly profit.
GO FURTHER
Compare with another budget.
Every capacity guide, or start from your own machine and a task.
8 GB or lessLaptops, iGPUs and modest cards9–12 GBEntry-level local inference13–16 GBCurrent mid-range cards21–24 GB3090, 4090 and 7900 XTX class25–32 GB5090 and workstation cards33–48 GBWorkstation and multi-GPU setups49–96 GBLarge multi-GPU and datacenter setups97 GB+Unified memory, servers and clustersCan I run it?Start from your own machineExplore the catalogBy GPU, model, runtime or task