What you need¶
The Starbase (the computer that runs it)¶
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| System | Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), or Linux | Windows 11 |
| Graphics card | none (slow), or 4 to 6 GB | 12 GB or more (NVIDIA) |
| Memory | 8 GB (with the smaller chat sizes) | 16 GB or more |
| Free disk space | about 10 GB (Ultralite) | 20 GB or more (Standard, with room to spare) |
| Network | home network; the internet for downloads and web lookups | wired |
The AI's brain runs in Ollama, which Starfarer uses for every model. On NVIDIA cards Ollama needs driver 551.61 or newer; AMD cards work through ROCm or Vulkan.
These are guidelines: Starfarer is built and tested on a 12 GB graphics card, and smaller PCs run the smaller chat sizes below.
How big a brain¶
The four personas share one brain. Starfarer picks its size from your graphics card when it scans the PC (you can choose another in Models):
| Chat size | Brain | Graphics memory | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Llama 3.3 8B (Q6_K), room for long conversations | about 10.5 GB (12 GB cards) | 6.6 GB |
| Lite | the same 8B, smaller (Q4_K_M), less room for the conversation | about 6 GB (8 GB cards) | 4.9 GB |
| Ultralite | Llama 3.2 3B: simpler, and less reliable with tools | about 3.2 GB (4 to 6 GB cards, laptops, no card) | 2.2 GB |
Other jobs (thinking things through, writing code, reading long pages, finding things it remembers, looking at pictures) can each have a smaller model of their own; without one, the chat AI does them itself.
Voice¶
Hearing, the AI's voice, voice ID and wake words run on the Starbase's processor, from voice files of about 900 MB downloaded once. Any microphone and speakers work; a headset or a speakerphone keeps the AI from hearing itself.
Other devices¶
- Browsers (the Bridge): any current browser on a PC, phone or tablet. The microphone needs HTTPS, which Starbase turns on by itself when other devices can connect.
- Satellites and Shuttles: a Raspberry Pi, a mini PC, an old laptop or a Compute Stick, with a mic and speaker (and a screen for a Shuttle), on Windows, Linux or a Pi. On Windows its installer sets up Python if the PC doesn't have it.
- Starships: your own Windows, Mac or Linux PC or laptop.