Now that you have a foundational understanding of Large Language Models and the reasons for running them locally, this chapter focuses on the practical steps needed to prepare your computer. Before you can download and interact with an LLM, ensuring your hardware and software environment is ready is essential.

We will examine the key hardware components – CPU, RAM, and GPU (specifically VRAM) – that influence LLM performance. Understanding these requirements will help you determine if your current setup is suitable and what to expect in terms of speed. You'll learn simple methods to check your own system's specifications across different operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux).

We will also touch upon operating system compatibility for common LLM tools. Finally, we will cover the setup of foundational software, including an optional but often helpful Python installation and a brief introduction to using the command line or terminal, as these are frequently used for installing and managing LLM software. By the end of this chapter, you will have assessed your system's capabilities and prepared the necessary groundwork for installing LLM tools.