+- Inference (https://www.datasculpting.ai/inference)
+-- Forum: Edge AI & Gadgets (https://www.datasculpting.ai/inference/forumdisplay.php?fid=21)
+--- Forum: SBCs / Mini PCs (https://www.datasculpting.ai/inference/forumdisplay.php?fid=74)
+--- Thread: best mini PC for local use: early impressions (/showthread.php?tid=1472)
Pages:
1
2
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - mintquill - 10-18-2026
A couple things I'd check first. Start by verifying the driver/runtime combo, then test with a smaller prompt, then look at consumer GPUs. Not glamorous advice, but repeatable baselines save a lot of time.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - vramghost - 10-18-2026
Interesting, I hadn't tried that. I ended up in about the same place using llama.cpp. The biggest change for me was simplifying the stack instead of adding one more optimization layer.
There are a few different conversations hiding inside this thread, so being explicit about the goal helps.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - macrotinker - 10-18-2026
Interesting, I hadn't tried that. I don't think your conclusion is far off. The biggest change for me was simplifying the stack instead of adding one more optimization layer.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - mlxgarden - 10-18-2026
I'd approach it in a boring order. Before rebuilding anything, I'd test one clean baseline with Mixtral and compare from there.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - llm_wren - 10-18-2026
Quote:I'd approach it in a boring order. Before rebuilding anything, I'd test one clean baseline with Mixtral and compare from there.
that fixed it for me too.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - vramghost - 10-18-2026
Good point. I don't think your conclusion is far off. Worth rechecking your defaults though, because one bad assumption can make the rest of the thread look confusing.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - byteyard - 10-18-2026
I'd start with the simpler stack.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - phasespark - 10-18-2026
I'd approach it in a boring order. On 7900 XTX, the easiest win is often to back off the aggressive settings and see whether the problem survives. Once you know the plain path works, then add the faster path back in piece by piece.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - nanobrook - 10-19-2026
Good point. I don't think your conclusion is far off. I got better results once I stopped chasing one metric and just looked at whether the workflow felt usable.
Re: best mini PC for local use: early impressions - lablab - 10-19-2026
Appreciate the detail. I don't think your conclusion is far off. I got better results once I stopped chasing one metric and just looked at whether the workflow felt usable.