Ask HN: Cheaper or similar setup like Asus ROG G16 for local LLM development?
I’m a math graduate student in Germany and recently I’m interested in developing local and/or web apps with LLMs. I have a 12-year-old MacBook Pro, so I’m thinking about buying something new.
I have searched relevant keywords here, and the “universal suggestions” seem to be that one should use laptops to access GPUs on the cloud, instead of running training and/or inferences on a laptop.
Someone mentioned [ASUS ROG G16](https://www.amazon.de/Anti-Glare-Display-i9-13980HX-Windows-Keyboard/dp/B0BZTJKZ5L/) or G14/15 can be a good local setup for running small models. While I probably can afford this, but it’s still slightly more expensive than I thought.
Given that a 3060 is around 300 euros, I was wondering that would a cheaper solution would be to build a PC myself? If so, how much cost do you think I would spend? I’ll probably move to a new place in the Fall semester, so I would like something portable or not too heavy if possible.
Thank you very much for your time!