Quick Answer: The best mini PC for local LLMs in 2026 is an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (Strix Halo) box with 128 GB of unified memory — the Framework Desktop, GMKtec EVO-X2, and Beelink GTR9 are the standouts. All three put ~96–110 GB of memory within reach of the integrated GPU, enough to hold 70B dense models and 200B-class mixture-of-experts models in a quiet box that sips power. The catch is bandwidth: these run big models slowly compared with a dedicated GPU. Buy one for capacity and silence, not raw speed.
Why Strix Halo changed the mini-PC math
Until recently, a mini PC meant small models only. AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 — “Strix Halo” — changed that by pairing a big integrated GPU with up to 128 GB of unified memory the GPU can address directly. On Linux, roughly 108 GB of that is usable by the GPU, which is enough to load models no single consumer graphics card can hold. One review measured the 128 GB config loading models up to about 200 billion parameters.
The honest tradeoff is bandwidth. These boxes top out around 256 GB/s theoretical (about 210–220 GB/s measured) — a fraction of a discrete GPU’s. So they’re brilliant at holding a large model and only modest at running it fast.
| Model type | Fits in 128 GB? | Speed on Strix Halo |
|---|---|---|
| 7B–32B dense | Easily | Good |
| 70B dense (Q4) | Yes (~42 GB) | Slow — about 5 tok/s |
| MoE (e.g. Qwen3-30B-A3B) | Yes | Fast — few active params |
| 120B–200B MoE | Yes (tight) | Usable, not snappy |
If you mostly run 32B-and-under models and want speed, a dedicated GPU is the better buy. If you want to hold the biggest models in a quiet box, read on.
Our top picks at a glance
| Mini PC | Memory | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framework Desktop | 128 GB unified | Repairable, open | Fully open-source-friendly |
| GMKtec EVO-X2 | 128 GB unified | Best availability | Widely stocked Strix Halo box |
| Beelink GTR9 | 128 GB unified | Compact all-rounder | Well-built, quiet |
Price reality: Strix Halo 128 GB boxes launched around the $2,000 class and have since climbed — some in-stock units now sit well above that. Memory-chip supply is the driver. We rank by capability; check the live price before you buy, and note that the 64 GB variants save money only if you never plan to run 70B-class models.
1. Framework Desktop (128 GB) — Best Overall
Framework Desktop (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128 GB)
- 128 GB unified memory with ~108 GB usable by the GPU — holds 70B dense and 200B-class MoE models.
- Repairable, standard-parts design and strong open-source/Linux support out of the box.
- Quiet and power-efficient compared with a GPU tower.
The Framework Desktop is our pick for people who value repairability and open software as much as the 128 GB. Kitting out several for a team? A free Amazon Business account gets you VAT invoices and quantity pricing on hardware like this. If it’s out of stock, the GMKtec below is the easiest Strix Halo box to actually find.
2. GMKtec EVO-X2 (128 GB) — Best Availability
GMKtec EVO-X2 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128 GB)
- One of the most widely stocked 128 GB Strix Halo boxes — the one you can usually actually buy.
- Same core platform and memory capacity as the pricier options.
- Good value when the Framework or first-party AMD box is sold out.
3. Beelink GTR9 (128 GB) — Compact All-Rounder
Beelink GTR9 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128 GB)
- Small, well-built, and quiet — a tidy desktop LLM server.
- Same 128 GB unified memory and Strix Halo silicon as the others.
How to choose a Strix Halo mini PC
- Get 128 GB, not 64 GB, if 70B is the goal. The whole point of these boxes is capacity; a 64 GB config can’t comfortably hold a 70B dense model with context.
- Favour MoE models for speed. Because bandwidth is the limit, mixture-of-experts models (which activate only a fraction of their parameters per token) feel far snappier than dense models of the same size.
- Pick the box you can actually buy. The silicon is the same across vendors; availability and warranty are the real differentiators. GMKtec is usually the easiest to find.
- Know the ecosystem. AMD’s ROCm support is improving fast, but CUDA is still the smoother path — if you rely on a CUDA-only tool, check compatibility first or consider a GPU.
Mini PC vs. the alternatives
A Strix Halo box competes with two other 128 GB-class options: a Mac Studio or Mac mini and NVIDIA’s DGX Spark. Macs offer higher memory bandwidth (and therefore faster generation) at a higher price; the DGX Spark offers native CUDA. The Strix Halo mini PC is usually the cheapest way into 128 GB of unified memory.
The bottom line
A 128 GB Strix Halo mini PC — our pick is the Framework Desktop, with the GMKtec EVO-X2 as the easiest to buy — is the most affordable way to hold 70B-and-larger models in a quiet, low-power box. Just go in clear-eyed: you’re buying capacity, not speed. If your models fit in 24–32 GB and you want them fast, a GPU is the better spend.