14. Budget Build: Mid-Range $800-1200
Chapter 14 of 20 · 20 min
The mid-range build provides capacity for 13B models with headroom for 33B through quantization. This tier represents the practical sweet spot for serious users.
Recommended Configuration
| Component | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | RTX 4080 16GB | $1000 |
| CPU | Ryzen 7 7700X | $250 |
| Motherboard | B650 | $140 |
| RAM | 2x16GB DDR5-6000 | $120 |
| Storage | 1TB NVMe Gen4 | $90 |
| PSU | 850W 80+ Gold | $110 |
| Case | Mid-tower | $80 |
| Total | $1790 |
Budget compromise option:
| Component | Lower Option | Price |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | RTX 4070 Ti 12GB | $700 |
| RAM | 2x16GB DDR5-5600 | $100 |
| Storage | 512GB | $50 |
| Total | $1450 |
Performance Expectations
With RTX 4080 16GB:
- Llama 3 8B FP16: 35-45 tokens/sec
- Llama 3 13B INT4: 25-30 tokens/sec
- Mixtral 8x7B: 18-20 tokens/sec
- Llama 3 70B INT4: 10-12 tokens/sec (stretch)
With RTX 4070 Ti 12GB:
- Llama 3 8B FP16: 30-38 tokens/sec
- Llama 3 13B INT4: 20-25 tokens/sec
- Llama 3 70B INT4: Will not fit
Motherboard Selection
B650 motherboards for Ryzen 7000 series:
| Board | PCIe Gen | M.2 Slots | USB Ports | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B650M DS3H | 4.0 | 2 | 8 | $100 |
| B650M Steel Legend | 5.0 | 2 | 10 | $150 |
| B650E Taichi | 5.0 | 4 | 14 | $300 |
PCIe 5.0 matters for future GPU upgrades but current RTX 4000 series uses PCIe 4.0.
Cooling Requirements
The RTX 4080 generates significant heat:
# Thermal testing before enclosure
nvidia-smi -q -d temperature | grep "GPU Current Temp"
# Target: Under 80°C under load
# If too hot:
# - Add case intake fans (2x 140mm recommended)
# - Undervolt GPU: nvidia-smi -pl 320
# - Check case airflow direction
EXERCISE
Compare two configurations: Option A (RTX 4080 16GB, $1790 total) versus Option B (RTX 4070 Ti 12GB, $1450 total). Calculate the cost per additional VRAM gigabyte and tokens per second difference.