Is Running Local LLMs on SSD RAID0 Viable?

KeinNiemand · reddit · 2026-07-17

A Reddit user asks if it's possible to use multiple SSDs in a RAID0 setup to run LLMs, acting as a substitute for expensive VRAM and system RAM.

The idea is to leverage the much lower cost-per-gigabyte of SSDs compared to RAM. By using 16–32 high-speed SSDs in RAID0, the theoretical bandwidth could approach memory-level speeds. However, the user acknowledges potential issues like higher latency, the overhead of constantly moving data between SSD/RAM/VRAM, and insufficient PCIe lanes on the motherboard.

Essentially, the post discusses whether bandwidth can compensate for latency disadvantages in local LLM inference, and if this "SSD stacking" approach is a truly affordable alternative for running local models.

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