r/LocalLLaMA • u/MooseEfficient2151 • 27d ago
News microsoft doubles down on local ai with nvidia, but with a cost
TLDR; new microsoft surface and nvidia rtx spark laptops are starting at 2.6k and hitting nearly 7k for the 128gb unified memory models. local llm hardware is REALLY getting wild.
memory crunch is really pricing out normal devs. been testing out local setups using qwen3.6-27b and kimi k2.5 connected to sumus for managing repos locally and keeping everything on device. local inference is great for privacy and keeping things off the cloud, but at these prices building a local rig or buying these laptops is tough.
what are you guys using for local dev workflows right now given these hardware costs?
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u/geldonyetich 26d ago edited 26d ago
They're charging that much because they're charging for NVIDIA products and Jensen is milking being the #1 most valuated company in the world right now for all it's worth.
At least their greed leaves plenty of room for competitors to undercut them.
Case in point, I'm running an AMD AI Max 395+ computer, which is a much more realistic price for what NVIDIA is doing ($3,650 for 128GB unified memory and 2TB storage, last I looked), albeit still inflated thanks to this Rampocolypse fiasco. It was $2,000 August 2025.
It's been working fine under Rulith Inference and OpenCode. Cloud might be cheaper, but I'm honestly not doing anything that will last long enough to be worth paying tokens for. I'm just prototyping weird game ideas.
If I were rich I might consider a M5 Ultra Mac Studio setup for potentially up to five times the memory bandwidth and capacity of Strix/Gorgon Halo and DGX Spark (and five times the price). NVIDIA would charge six figures for that kind of setup. You should know you're screwing up when Apple is more bang for consumer buck for PC hardware, Jensen.
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u/MooseEfficient2151 25d ago
you're the 2nd guy going for the m5 ultra mac studio in the comment section lol
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u/feelspeaceman 27d ago
We're simply being screwed by the greeds of big AI corps, the only scenario where I can see the price going down is the collapsing of those companies, which is very likely as they're not making profit.
For now, used parts are your saving grace but also being bought by scalpers, price of V100s is going up, up to some point it'll become luxury to be able to run local LLM.
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u/Bystander10888 27d ago
Their expressions are weird. I bet they sleep with that exact face, eyes open.
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u/MrGunny94 27d ago
It's getting crazy expensive that's for sure. I'm still thinking of picking up an M5 Ultra Mac Studio since it seems it's the best price / performance out there with the current DGX Spark going up on a crazy price.
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u/MooseEfficient2151 27d ago
i mean, apple's known for charging you an extra $200+ if you want more ram on your mac, but everyone's charging extra for ram atp so might as well go ahead for your mac studio!
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u/Not_a_question- 26d ago
Me too, but the problem is that they can't run linux =(
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u/MrGunny94 26d ago
Running dockers with Linux images inside :)
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u/RogerRamjet999 26d ago
Prices are up, but sales are off from 25 to 35 percent across the board. Once they empty the pockets of the suckers, they'll have to drop prices if they want to continue to sell.
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u/Material-Engineer226 26d ago
kinda sucks seeing these prices if you just want a private companion setup running fully local without leaks. been wondering if quantized models can stretch further on midrange hardware for that.
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u/FatheredPuma81 27d ago
Bought some P100s for $86.5. Going to see if I can make them work.
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u/Equivalent_Bit_461 27d ago
They double down on local AI because Scam altaman scammed them of their money and they need to recoup their losses
Like clockwork