Best laptops for local AI
The beginnings of a hardware buyer guide for people who want local AI without buying a ridiculous machine.
Who this is for
People who want one portable machine that can handle sensible local AI work without becoming a heat-generating monument to overkill.
Buying principles
- buy for the models you will actually run
- memory matters more than macho branding
- portability, noise, and battery still count
How this page will be structured
- good, better, best tiers
- who each tier is for
- what local AI workloads are realistic
- who should simply use the cloud instead
Editorial rule
This page should stop people making expensive mistakes. That is more important than sounding impressive.