{"id":170,"date":"2026-03-18T20:43:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/?p=170"},"modified":"2026-03-18T20:43:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:43:56","slug":"running-a-30b-llm-locally-nemotron-3-nano-on-a-laptop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/2026\/03\/18\/running-a-30b-llm-locally-nemotron-3-nano-on-a-laptop\/","title":{"rendered":"Running a 30B LLM Locally: Nemotron-3-nano on a Laptop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In this short report I summarize my first impressions of using the new Nemotron-3-nano:30b on my laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">System specifications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ASUS TUF laptop<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intel core i9<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>32GB RAM<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (8 GB VRAM)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>OS: Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS (kernel: 6.17.0-19-generic)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Installation<\/h3>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code synano has-header\" data-header=\"Bash\" data-theme=\"default\"><code class=\"language-bash\">ollama pull nemotron-3-nano:30b<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"font-size:10px\">telzur@TUF:~\/science\/nemotron-3-nano$ ollama pull nemotron-3-nano:30b\npulling manifest \npulling a70437c41b3b: 100% \u2595\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u258f  24 GB                         \npulling bca58c750377: 100% \u2595\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u258f  10 KB                         \npulling 12e88b2a8727: 100% \u2595\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u258f   28 B                         \npulling 12bee8c08a36: 100% \u2595\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u258f  488 B                         \nverifying sha256 digest \nwriting manifest \nsuccess <\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Running<\/h3>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code synano has-header\" data-header=\"Bash\" data-theme=\"default\"><code class=\"language-bash\">ollama run nemotron-3-nano:30b<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n<p>A test query: \u201cwhat are the health benefits of NAC?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"font-size:11px\">telzur@TUF:~\/science\/nemotron-3-nano$ ollama run nemotron-3-nano:30b<br><br>>>> what are the health benefits of NAC? \u00a0\/\/ an example<br><br>Thinking...<br><br>The user asks: \"what are the health benefits of NAC?\" They want information about N-acetylcysteine (NAC) health benefits. This is medical info, but\u00a0<br><br>generally permissible as it's not providing medical advice, just informational. We can comply, providing overview. Must avoid disallowed content. It's\u00a0<br><br>safe. Provide benefits: antioxidant, mucolytic, supports mental health, substance use disorders, respiratory conditions, cardiovascular, etc. Also\u00a0<br><br>mention side effects, typical dosage, need for medical guidance. Should not provide specific medical advice. Provide citations? Just general. So answer\u00a0<br><br>accordingly.<br><br>...done thinking.<br><br>\u2026. <em><strong>A very long reply (truncated)<\/strong><\/em> \u2026<br><br>**If you\u2019re considering NAC for a specific health goal, the safest path is to speak with a qualified healthcare professional who can tailor the dose,\u00a0<br><br>duration, and monitoring plan to your individual circumstances.**<br><br>>>> Send a message (\/? for help)<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ollama runtime status<\/h3>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code synano has-header\" data-header=\"Bash\" data-theme=\"default\"><code class=\"language-bash\">ollama ps<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"font-size:11px\">telzur@TUF:~\/science\/nemotron-3-nano$ ollama ps\n\nNAME &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ID&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; SIZE &nbsp; &nbsp; PROCESSOR&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; CONTEXT&nbsp; &nbsp; UNTIL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\n\nnemotron-3-nano:30b&nbsp; &nbsp; b725f1117407&nbsp; &nbsp; 26 GB&nbsp; &nbsp; 77%\/23% CPU\/GPU&nbsp; &nbsp; 4096&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;53 seconds from now<\/pre>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Computer utilization<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>While the computer was processing the query the GPU load can be seen with &#8220;nvtop&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"524\" src=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-6-1024x524.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-6-1024x524.png 1024w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-6-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-6-768x393.png 768w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-6-1536x786.png 1536w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-6-1568x803.png 1568w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-6.png 1596w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;nvtop&#8221; while processing a query<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The GPU load can also be seen using &#8220;nvidia-smi&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"932\" height=\"621\" src=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-172\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-1.png 932w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-1-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-1-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 932px) 100vw, 932px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;nvidia-smi&#8221; while processing a query<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that the GPU is doing computing (C) and not graphics (G) for ollama and it uses approximately 6 GB of VRAM. In addition it uses the CPU as can be seen in &#8220;top&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"932\" height=\"621\" src=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-4.png 932w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-4-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-4-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 932px) 100vw, 932px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;top&#8221; while processing a query<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Working with a web GUI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also interact with the model using the Open WebUI interface: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"524\" src=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-3-1024x524.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-3-1024x524.png 1024w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-3-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-3-768x393.png 768w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-3-1536x786.png 1536w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-3-1568x803.png 1568w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-3.png 1596w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Invoking Open WebUI from the terminal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Then open your browser at <a href=\"http:\/\/localhost:8080\">http:\/\/localhost:8080<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"526\" src=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-1024x526.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.9467266467196356;width:721px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-1024x526.png 1024w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-768x395.png 768w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-1536x789.png 1536w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image.png 1539w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The web GUI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Repeating the same query but this time in the Web GUI:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"499\" src=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-5-1024x499.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-5-1024x499.png 1024w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-5-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-5-768x374.png 768w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-5-1536x748.png 1536w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-5-1568x764.png 1568w, https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-5.png 1681w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Running a query in the browser.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First impressions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Running Nemotron-3-nano:30b on my laptop seems to be very impressive because it is a serious, quite large LLM which, makes an effective use of gaming laptop hardware (core i9, 32GB RAM and RTX4060 GPU with 8GB VRAM). As was shown above the CPU\/GPU utilization was automatically set to: 77%\/23% CPU\/GPU. For a total memory of 26 GB&nbsp;which means using about 20GB RAM and about 6GB VRAM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The downsides are a quite long response times and a very noisy computer as the fan is struggling to cool the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Running a 30B-class model locally on a laptop is no longer theoretical\u2014it is practical.<br>However, there is still a clear trade-off between <strong>performance, latency, and thermal constraints<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this short report I summarize my first impressions of using the new Nemotron-3-nano:30b on my laptop. System specifications Installation telzur@TUF:~\/science\/nemotron-3-nano$ ollama pull nemotron-3-nano:30b pulling manifest pulling a70437c41b3b: 100% \u2595\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u258f 24 GB pulling bca58c750377: 100% \u2595\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u258f 10 KB pulling 12e88b2a8727: 100% \u2595\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u258f 28 B pulling 12bee8c08a36: 100% \u2595\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u258f 488 B verifying sha256 digest writing manifest &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/2026\/03\/18\/running-a-30b-llm-locally-nemotron-3-nano-on-a-laptop\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Running a 30B LLM Locally: Nemotron-3-nano on a Laptop&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[14,13,12],"class_list":["post-170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai","tag-ai","tag-gpu","tag-llm","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":187,"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions\/187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tel-zur.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}