Show HN: Local LLM Hardware Calculator (vettedconsumer.com)

A new tool has been announced that allows users to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of hardware for running large language models (LLMs). The Local LLM Hardware Calculator helps users decide between purchasing hardware, renting cloud GPUs, or using API services by providing a detailed cost comparison and break-even analysis based on their specific usage needs. Users can either input their existing hardware specifications or browse through comprehensive hardware options tracked by the tool to assess compatibility and requirements for their LLMs. This calculator is significant for the AI/ML community as it democratizes access to LLM deployment by offering a transparent way to evaluate hardware costs and performance. It provides detailed technical insights including memory requirements for model weights, KV cache growth with context tokens, overhead estimates, and metrics for mixture-of-experts models. By using straightforward math derived from existing guides, the tool allows users to understand their limitations and expectations regarding memory bandwidth and performance in real-world scenarios. This resource aims to empower developers and researchers to make informed hardware investment decisions in an increasingly competitive AI landscape.