🔧 Local LLM Inference in 2026: The Complete Guide to Tools, Hardware & Open-Weight Models

TL;DR: Ollama is the fastest path to running local LLMs (one command to install, one to run). The Mac Mini M4 Pro 48GB (~$1,999) is the best-value hardware. Q4_K_M is the sweet spot quantization for most users. Open-weight models like GLM-5, MiniMax M2, and Hermes 4 are impressively capable for a wide range of tasks. This guide covers 10 inference...