Q: What's the best local LLM for OpenClaw?

For general use: Llama 3.1 8B (5.5 GB VRAM) offers the best balance of speed and capability. For coding tasks: Qwen 2.5 Coder 7B. For complex reasoning: DeepSeek R1 32B or QwQ 32B (both need 21+ GB VRAM).

Q: Can I run OpenClaw on an RTX 3060?

Yes! An RTX 3060 has 12 GB VRAM, which can run 7-8B parameter models at full GPU speed. Models like Llama 3.1 8B, Mistral 7B, and Qwen 2.5 7B all fit comfortably.

Q: Can I run OpenClaw without a GPU?

Yes, but the LLM will run on CPU only, which is significantly slower (typically 2-5 tokens/sec vs 30+ on GPU). You need at least 8 GB RAM for small models like Phi-4 Mini. Apple Silicon Macs with 16+ GB unified memory perform well for CPU inference.

Question 1

What hardware do I need for OpenClaw?

Accepted Answer

OpenClaw itself is lightweight (< 500 MB RAM). The bottleneck is the local LLM that powers it. For a budget setup, a GPU with 4-6 GB VRAM can run Phi-4 Mini or Llama 3.1 8B. For the best experience, 12+ GB VRAM is recommended for models like Llama 4 Scout or QwQ 32B.

Question 2

What's the best local LLM for OpenClaw?

Accepted Answer

For general use: Llama 3.1 8B (5.5 GB VRAM) offers the best balance of speed and capability. For coding tasks: Qwen 2.5 Coder 7B. For complex reasoning: DeepSeek R1 32B or QwQ 32B (both need 21+ GB VRAM).

Question 3

Can I run OpenClaw on an RTX 3060?

Accepted Answer

Yes! An RTX 3060 has 12 GB VRAM, which can run 7-8B parameter models at full GPU speed. Models like Llama 3.1 8B, Mistral 7B, and Qwen 2.5 7B all fit comfortably.

Question 4

Can I run OpenClaw without a GPU?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but the LLM will run on CPU only, which is significantly slower (typically 2-5 tokens/sec vs 30+ on GPU). You need at least 8 GB RAM for small models like Phi-4 Mini. Apple Silicon Macs with 16+ GB unified memory perform well for CPU inference.

OpenClaw Hardware Requirements and Compatibility Checker

Check OpenClaw Compatibility on Your Hardware

Best Local LLMs for OpenClaw by VRAM Tier

Budget GPUs (4-6 GB VRAM)

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 7B

Llama 3.1 8B

Mistral 7B v0.3

Phi-4 Mini 3.8B

Qwen 2.5 7B

Qwen 2.5 Coder 7B

High-End GPUs (20+ GB VRAM)

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B

Llama 4 Scout 17B (16E)

QwQ 32B

How to Run OpenClaw with a Local LLM

OpenClaw Setup Guide (Step by Step)

Ollama Guide

llama.cpp Guide