Best GPU for local AI under £500
Every card and computer we track that costs £500 or less in the UK right now, ranked by value: the cheapest verified UK price (used or new) divided by how fast it runs a typical small AI model (7-9B, the size most people start with). Lower £ per speed is better. Prices refresh every morning.
Top pick under £500
RTX 3060 Ti 8GB: £213 used, 92.2 tokens per second on 7-9B models (from 8 tests), 8 GB of memory, so it fits up to 7-9B models.
A token is roughly ¾ of a word, so 92.2 tokens per second is about 69 words per second, well above reading speed.
Ranked by value
| Rank | Option | UK price | Speed (7-9B) | £ per speed | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | RTX 3060 Ti 8GB | £213 used | 92.2 tok/s from 8 tests | £2.31 | 8 GB (up to 7-9B models) |
| #2 | RTX 3080 10GB | £337 used | 131.0 tok/s from 5 tests | £2.57 | 10 GB (up to 12-14B models) |
| #3 | RTX 3060 12GB | £228 used | 71.1 tok/s from 19 tests | £3.21 | 12 GB (up to 12-14B models) |
| #4 | RX 6800 XT 16GB | £352 used | 95.6 tok/s from 5 tests | £3.68 | 16 GB (up to 12-14B models) |
| #5 | RX 6800 16GB | £316 used | 83.9 tok/s from 19 tests | £3.76 | 16 GB (up to 12-14B models) |
| #6 | RX 6900 XT 16GB | £371 used | 98.2 tok/s from 14 tests | £3.78 | 16 GB (up to 12-14B models) |
| #7 | Intel Arc B580 12GB | £280 used | 70.1 tok/s from 3 tests | £3.99 | 12 GB (up to 12-14B models) |
| #8 | RTX 4070 12GB | £448 used | 92.3 tok/s from 3 tests | £4.86 | 12 GB (up to 12-14B models) |
| #9 | Intel Arc A770 16GB | £239 used | 49.2 tok/s from 26 tests | £4.86 | 16 GB (up to 12-14B models) |
Also under £500, not ranked yet
- RTX 4060 Ti 16GB £412 used: not ranked yet, fewer than 3 speed tests on 7-9B models
Want to run bigger models?
Memory decides how big a model you can run; speed decides how quickly it answers. The most memory you can get for £500 right now is the Intel Arc A770 16GB with 16 GB (£239 used), which fits up to 12-14B models.
Other budgets: Under £300 · Under £1,000 · Under £2,000 · All cards · Set your own budget · Beginner's guide · How we rank
Weekly UK value moves, by email
Price drops, new benchmark results, best buys under £500 / £1,000 / £2,000.
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