Rig Finder index / 32B / Coding assistant / Virginia
Best rig to run a 32B model for coding assistant in Virginia
For a 32B model at this workload, the RTX 3090 (used) pays off fastest — break-even ~9 months, keeping $3,408 over 3 years versus Claude Sonnet 4.6.
Same workload, same cloud, same electricity — we swap only the hardware and rank by real break-even. Rigs that can't run a 32B model are shown, never recommended. Compared against Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3/M in, $15/M out); change the cloud in the lab.
Every build, ranked
| Rig | Build | 32B tok/s | Local/mo | Break-even | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 3090 (used)best payoff | $1,200 | 24estimated | $40.34 | ~9 mo | OWN |
| RTX 4090 | $2,300 | 38estimated | $71.66 | ~18 mo | HYBRID |
| 2× RTX 3090 | $2,250 | 30estimated | $74.33 | ~18 mo | HYBRID |
| Mac M-series | $3,000 | 20estimated | $84.73 | ~23 mo | HYBRID |
| RTX 5090 | $3,500 | 60estimated | $107 | ~28 mo | HYBRID |
| Mini-PCtoo small for 32B | $750 | — | $22.34 | ~6 mo | OWN |
Assumes coding assistant use: ~15M tokens/month, 3h/day active, 5h/day idle, at Virginia electricity ($0.146/kWh). Speeds are our estimates; community-measured tok/s live on the interactive Rig Finder and the benchmarks board. Every formula is on the methodology page.
Run this with your exact numbers →