Matthew Smith

Matthew S. Smith is a prolific tech journalist, critic, product reviewer, and influencer from Portland, Oregon. Over 16 years covering tech he has reviewed thousands of PC laptops, desktops, monitors, and other consumer gadgets. Matthew also hosts Computer Gaming Yesterday, a YouTube channel dedicated to retro PC gaming, and covers the latest artificial intelligence research for IEEE Spectrum.

All Posts by Matthew Smith

image about - explaining nvidia nvfp4: how blackwell’s secret weapon supercharges local ai

Matthew Smith • Sep 14, 2026

Explaining NVIDIA NVFP4: How Blackwell’s Secret Weapon Supercharges Local AI

From the DGX Spark to RTX 50-series GPUs, NVIDIA’s 4-bit micro-scaling format lets massive reasoning models fit inside local VRAM—without the usual IQ penalty.

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image about - run ai locally: the best llms for 8gb, 16gb, 32gb memory and beyond

Matthew Smith • Sep 10, 2026

Run AI Locally: The Best LLMs for 8GB, 16GB, 32GB Memory and Beyond

How to choose between Qwen, DeepSeek, Gemma and other open-weight models to run on your AI rig right now.

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image about - apple mac mini and mac studio aim to be ai powerhouses

Buying Guides

Matthew Smith • Sep 8, 2026

Apple Mac mini and Mac Studio Aim to be AI Powerhouses

How do the new systems and the M5 Ultra and M6 chips stack up?

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image about - 6 hot new agentic ai models that will run on your pc

Matthew Smith • Sep 2, 2026

6 Hot New Agentic AI Models That Will Run on Your PC

The local AI drought is over: These are the new models to check out on your PC.

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image about - how to use a local llm in visual studio code

Matthew Smith • Jul 22, 2026

How to Use a Local LLM in Visual Studio Code

Photo: Jacob BoboCoding is arguably the use case for large language models (LLMs) in 2026. Companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are betting their entire futures on it. However, the increased...

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image about - 8 must-have lm studio plugins to level up your local llm

Matthew Smith • Jul 16, 2026

8 must-have LM Studio plugins to level up your local LLM

Upgrade your local AI with these plugins for a cloud-like experience.

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image about - how to turn the amd ryzen ai halo into your local ai server

Matthew Smith • Jul 10, 2026

How to Turn the AMD Ryzen AI Halo Into Your Local AI Server

Access the power of the AI Halo from anywhere on your network.

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image about - amds ryzen ai halo will be an ai mini-desktop with serious power

Matthew Smith • Jun 24, 2026

AMD's Ryzen AI Halo will be an AI Mini-Desktop with Serious Power

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image about - can you really replace chatgpt with a local ai workstation

Matthew Smith • Jun 17, 2026

Can You Really Replace ChatGPT with a Local AI Workstation?

I put a local AI workstation to the test as a subscription chatbot replacement.

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image about - why vram and memory bandwidth are key for powering local ai

Matthew Smith • Jun 16, 2026

Why VRAM and Memory Bandwidth are Key for Powering Local AI

The biggest bottleneck to your AI experience may come from your memory and memory bandwidth.

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image about - build your own weather station with the raspberry pi pico

Maker Projects

Matthew Smith • May 28, 2026

Build Your Own Weather Station with the Raspberry Pi Pico

This DIY weather station is a great way to learn new skills and get personalized weather reporting.

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image about - how to use lm studio to turn your pc into an ai server

Matthew Smith • May 21, 2026

How to Use LM Studio to turn your PC into an AI Server

Chat with an LLM running on your server from any device on your network.

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Matthew Smith

All Posts by Matthew Smith

Explaining NVIDIA NVFP4: How Blackwell’s Secret Weapon Supercharges Local AI

Run AI Locally: The Best LLMs for 8GB, 16GB, 32GB Memory and Beyond

Apple Mac mini and Mac Studio Aim to be AI Powerhouses

6 Hot New Agentic AI Models That Will Run on Your PC

How to Use a Local LLM in Visual Studio Code

8 must-have LM Studio plugins to level up your local LLM

How to Turn the AMD Ryzen AI Halo Into Your Local AI Server

AMD's Ryzen AI Halo will be an AI Mini-Desktop with Serious Power

Can You Really Replace ChatGPT with a Local AI Workstation?

Why VRAM and Memory Bandwidth are Key for Powering Local AI

Build Your Own Weather Station with the Raspberry Pi Pico

How to Use LM Studio to turn your PC into an AI Server

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