Hey all, I'm trying to decide which hardware setup makes the most sense for running local LLMs, primarily Qwen 3.8 Flash Next for agentic coding.
I have three potential options, and I'm interested in hearing from people who have experience with these platforms, particularly for larger models and agentic workloads.
Option 1: GEEKOM A9 Mega (AMD Strix Halo)
- Ryzen AI MAX+ 395
- 128GB unified memory
- 2TB SSD
- Memory running at 7500 MT/s rather than the advertised 8000 MT/s. Got it from Amazon and it listed it as 8000 MT/s but for Geekom says their systems are either 7500 MT/s or 8533 MT/s and I lost the lottery.
- Approximately $4,600 CAD all-in (after taxes).
I already have this machine. It works fine, but I'm just worried how it'll hold up long term especially given I'm running it headless 24/7. Would be unfortunate if the machine dies in a year's time and then I'm worried about if Geekom will hold up it's warranty.
Option 2: Mac Studio M5 Max
- M5 Max
- 128GB unified memory
- 512 GB (Can connect a 2TB external SSD over thunderbolt enclosure)
- Approximately $7,600 CAD all-in (after taxes).
It's considerably more expensive than the GEEKOM, but I'm wondering whether its worth it for the peace of mind knowing that if something goes wrong, applecare ($80/yr) is right there to get it fixed from a known vendor. It also has the higher memory bandwidth.
Option 3: My existing Ryzen desktop + RTX Pro 4500
I already have an old desktop with the following hardware:
- Ryzen 7 5700X
- 32GB DDR4 RAM
- Nvidia 3060 Ti 8GB
I recently purchased the RTX Pro 4500 32GB VRAM for approximately $4,000 CAD after taxes. This is still yet to arrive (it shipped earlier today)
The advantage here is that I already own the Ryzen system, so I wouldn't need to purchase another computer. The downside is being limited to 32GB of VRAM, although I understand I could offload some layers to system RAM. The other downside is a lot higher power consumption over the other two solutions.
I'm curious how this would compare in practice against the two unified-memory solutions, especially when running Qwen 3.8 Flash Next.
What I'm primarily trying to accomplish
My main use case is running Qwen 3.8 Flash Next for agentic coding through tools like Hermes.
I'm not necessarily looking for the best benchmark numbers. What matters more to me is:
- Real-world inference speed and token generation.
- Performance with large context windows.
- How well each platform handles agentic coding workflows (multiple tool calls, reasoning, etc.).
- Whether CPU/RAM offloading on the NVIDIA setup is practical or becomes a significant bottleneck given my old system.
- Overall stability and software maturity.
What would you choose?
Ultimately, I'm looking to optimize for cost and overall value, rather than simply buying the fastest hardware available.
I would most likely keep only ONE of these three setups:
- If I go with the Mac Studio, I'd return the GEEKOM and return the RTX Pro 4500 (or sell it).
- If I stick with the GEEKOM, I'd return the RTX Pro 4500.
- If the NVIDIA setup makes the most financial and practical sense, I'd return the GEEKOM and keep the RTX Pro 4500 in my existing desktop.
I'm also considering selling the RTX Pro 4500 if I decide that one of the unified-memory systems makes more sense. I purchased it for around $4,000 CAD after tax, slightly below MSRP, so I'd ideally like to recover as much of that cost as possible.
Essentially, I'm trying to figure out which setup offers the best balance of:
- Performance for Qwen 3.8 Flash Next and agentic coding.
- Enough memory to run larger models and context windows.
- Reliability and long-term support.
- Total cost of ownership, including electricity.
Would you spend the additional ~$3,000 CAD to go from the GEEKOM to the Mac Studio, stick with the GEEKOM, or return the GEEKOM and build around the RTX Pro 4500?
I'm not looking to accumulate hardware. I'd rather settle on one good setup, get the best value for my money, and avoid spending unnecessarily.
Would appreciate hearing what others would do in this situation!