docs: answer the RAM question alongside disk

Measured on a running install rather than estimated. The README already
gave 4 GB and 32 GB; what was missing is why the gap is that wide, which
is the model rather than NOMAD, and whether it comes out of VRAM or
system RAM.

Asked for by @mk-pmb on #1271.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01F8Mgg1vd2eKSs8StZiuyMV
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Chris Sherwood 2026-08-31 17:45:42 -07:00 committed by Jake Turner
parent f7e6041d40
commit 4aa70c7038
2 changed files with 19 additions and 1 deletions

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@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ At its core, however, NOMAD is still very lightweight. For a barebones installat
#### Minimum Specs
- Processor: 2 GHz dual-core processor or better
- RAM: 4GB system memory
- RAM: 4GB system memory (the whole stack without AI runs in under 1 GB)
- Storage: At least 5 GB free disk space
- OS: Debian-based (Ubuntu 26.04 LTS recommended)
- Stable internet connection (required during install only)

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@ -29,6 +29,24 @@ NOMAD is designed for capable hardware, especially if you want to use the AI fea
**For detailed build recommendations at three price points ($150–$1,000+), see the [Hardware Guide](https://www.projectnomad.us/hardware).**
### How much RAM do I need?
**Without the AI Assistant, the whole stack sits under 1GB.** Measured on a running
install: the Command Center 241MB, MySQL 444MB, Redis 9MB, Kiwix 101MB, and the
knowledge base index 155MB. That is why 4GB is a real minimum rather than a
defensive one.
**The AI is the variable, and it is the model rather than NOMAD.** Ollama idles at
roughly 1.2GB, and a model needs about its download size resident while it answers,
so an 8B model at ~4.6GB wants about that much on top. **8GB is workable for a small
model, 16GB is comfortable, and 32GB is the recommendation if you want to run larger
ones.**
Where that memory comes from depends on your hardware. With a discrete GPU the model
loads into VRAM and never touches system RAM, so VRAM is the number that limits which
models you can run. With an integrated GPU or no GPU at all, it comes out of system
RAM, which is why a CPU-only box needs more of it.
### How much storage do I need?
**To install NOMAD itself: about 5GB, so leave 10GB free.** That covers the