Rig Finder index / 8B / Coding assistant / Rhode Island
Best rig to run an 8B model for coding assistant in Rhode Island
For an 8B model at this workload, the Mini-PC pays off fastest — break-even ~6 months, keeping $3,998 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 an 8B 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 | 8B tok/s | Local/mo | Break-even | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-PCbest payoff | $750 | 22estimated | $23.95 | ~6 mo | OWN |
| RTX 3090 (used) | $1,200 | 85estimated | $47.78 | ~10 mo | OWN |
| RTX 4090 | $2,300 | 120estimated | $79.92 | ~19 mo | HYBRID |
| 2× RTX 3090 | $2,250 | 90estimated | $86.88 | ~20 mo | HYBRID |
| Mac M-series | $3,000 | 65estimated | $86.22 | ~23 mo | HYBRID |
| RTX 5090 | $3,500 | 180estimated | $118 | ~31 mo | HYBRID |
Assumes coding assistant use: ~15M tokens/month, 3h/day active, 5h/day idle, at Rhode Island electricity ($0.301/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 →