16GB AI PCs: Every System Compared

The entry point, and a real ceiling

Sixteen gigabytes of usable AI memory runs a 7B or 8B model comfortably and a 12B at a shortened context. That covers summarising, drafting, classification and most coding assistance on small models, which is genuinely useful work. What it will not do is run the 24B and 32B models that people mean when they say a local model felt as good as a hosted one.

Nearly every machine in this band is a shared-graphics laptop, which means the 16GB figure comes from a 32GB system splitting its memory with the integrated GPU. The memory is usually in the processor package, so there is no upgrade path later. Buy this band knowing the ceiling is permanent.

Where the money is better spent

If local models are the point of the purchase rather than a bonus, the jump to a unified-memory machine changes what is possible far more than any processor upgrade inside this band. If the AI features built into Windows are the point, this band is exactly right and spending more buys you nothing.