Run DeepSeek AI Locally on Your PC for Free
Worried about data privacy with AI? Run DeepSeek or other open-source LLMs locally on your computer using LM Studio. This free tool allows you to use distilled models for faster and more efficient AI interaction, even offline.
How to Run DeepSeek AI Locally on Your PC for Free
In recent times, the use of large language models (LLMs) like DeepSeek R1 has become increasingly popular, raising concerns about personal data being sent to China. One solution is to run these models locally on your device. In this blog post, we will explore how to use LM Studio, a free tool available for PC, Mac, and Linux, to run DeepSeek R1 and other popular LLMs on your PC without any privacy issues.
System Requirements
To run these models on your local device, it is recommended to have a PC with a powerful CPU, GPU, and at least 16 GB of RAM for optimal performance.
Running DeepSeek R1 Locally on Your PC
Steps to run DeepSeek on your PC
- Download and install LM Studio from lmstudio.ai.
- After installation, LM Studio prompts you to download and install the distilled (7 billion parameters) DeepSeek R1 model.
- You can also download and use any of the other open-source AI models directly from LM Studio.
When you use an AI model locally on your PC via LM Studio for the first time, loading the model manually may be required. Depending on the model's size, it could take a few seconds to a couple of minutes to complete the loading process.
Important Considerations for Running On-Device AI Models
- Performance and system resource usage: Depending on the computing capabilities and resources of your PC, the response from an AI model running locally might take longer to process compared to online models. Monitor the system resource usage at the bottom right corner closely. If the model is consuming too much RAM and CPU, it's best to switch to an online model.
- Modes of operation: You can run an AI model in three different modes: User, Power User, and Developer Mode. These modes offer varying degrees of customization capabilities. Additionally, if you have a laptop with an NVIDIA GPU, you may experience better performance from the AI model.
How to Check if the Model is Running Locally
To confirm if the model is running locally on your PC, simply disconnect your Ethernet and turn off your Wi-Fi; if the model still responds to your queries while offline, it is an indicator that it is running locally.
Personal Experience
I used the DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B-GGUF on a thin-and-light notebook with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chip and 16 GB of RAM. During active usage, the RAM usage was around 5 GB, and the CPU usage was around 35%. The model was fairly fast to respond to some queries but took up to 30 seconds to generate responses for others. Depending on the query, waiting times may vary.
In conclusion, running a model locally is a great solution for those concerned about data privacy and wishing to stay updated on the latest innovations. Happy programming!
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Codeltix AI
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