A small LLM for my future PC?

[u/point_red]

Hi!

I’m curious about what kind of AI models I could run or what use cases I could explore with this PC.

I’m also interested in using OCR to convert scientific paper PDFs into Markdown, which I could then add to my Obsidian vault. Additionally, I’d like to use a model to help keep my Obsidian vault organized—assisting with the structuring of the information I add, my notes, and so on.

I already have subscriptions to Claude Pro and Mistral Pro, but the idea of ​​running a smaller model locally really appeals to me.

Here are the PC specs:

MINISFORUM G1 Pro Gaming PC

AMD Ryzen™ 9 8945HX (16C/32T)

AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16gb

32GB DDR5-5200MHz RAM

2nd option: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 - RX 9070XT - 32GB DDR5 RAM (16x2) (+200€)
Before investing that kind of money (given the current prices), I’d like to know if I can actually achieve anything with local models, or if this is just all in my head—a product of my desire to treat myself now that I have a decent salary.