I built a private AI mini-cluster with Framework Desktop

Duration: 20:00

Can we build a private AI cluster in a mini rack with Framework's Desktop motherboard?

Mentioned in this video:

- Framework Desktop: https://frame.work/desktop

- Level1Techs review of Framework Desktop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-xgMQ-7lW0

- Beowulf AI Cluster project: https://github.com/geerlingguy/beowulf-ai-cluster

- Blog post with all test results: https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/i-clustered-four-framework-mainboards-test-huge-llms

- Other test results and benchmarks for the Framework Mainboard: https://github.com/geerlingguy/sbc-reviews/issues/80

- DeskPi RackMate T1 (Black - US): https://amzn.to/456iuXv

- DeskPi RackMate T1 (Black - EU): https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0FBFDZD4C?th=1

Framework sent the units used in this review, and DeskPi sent a mini rack and four rack trays to mount the Framework hardware. Neither company paid me, nor had any input into my testing or the production of the video. See my review video policies: https://github.com/geerlingguy/youtube?tab=readme-ov-file#review-videos

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2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GeerlingEngineering

3rd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Level2Jeff

Contents:

00:00 - Desktop schmeshtop

00:32 - Nirav Patel explains the mini cluster

02:06 - Mainboard overview

04:16 - Single node performance

06:44 - AI and AMD mini-rant

07:47 - Single node AI benchmarks

09:03 - It's clusterin' time!

11:07 - A mini rack for the AI stack

14:27 - Large LLMs, clustered

16:14 - DeepSeek 671B and Llama 405B testing

18:02 - What about value?