8B LLM Starter Build
The smallest sensible desktop for running 7B and 8B class models well: a 16 GB graphics card, a fast 6 core CPU, 64 GB of system memory and a quick 2 TB drive.
Parts list
| Part | Category | Key specs | US price in our data |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | GPUs | 16 GB VRAM · 759 TOPS · 18 W | $429 (NVIDIA MSRP) |
| AMD Ryzen 5 7600 | CPUs | 6 cores · 65 W | $199 (AMD MSRP) |
| G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 64GB DDR5 6000 CL36 | RAM | 64 GB RAM | $1,069.99 (Amazon) |
| Western Digital WD Black SN850X 2TB | Storage | 2 TB | $349.99 (Amazon) |
The total is the sum of the US prices listed in our dataset for these parts, nothing added and nothing estimated. Street prices move; check the stores before you buy.
Why these parts
16 GB of VRAM holds an 8B model at FP16 with room for context, or a 32B model at INT4. The 64 GB of system RAM keeps bigger quantized models and datasets in memory without swapping.
Not sure which size of build you need? Run the VRAM Fit Checker with your model and precision, then come back to the parts list that matches. Store options are in the retailer directory by state.
Supporting parts in the directory
These boards, power, case and cooling picks complete the build. Our dataset does not carry US list prices for them yet, so they are not in the total. ASRock B650 Pro RS · ASRock B650E Taichi · ASUS ROG Loki 1000W SFX-L Platinum · ASUS ROG Strix 1000W Platinum · ASUS ProArt PA602 · ASUS ROG Hyperion GR701 · ASUS ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB · ASUS ROG Strix LC III 360 ARGB