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Sample Kit #1: llmspeed

Unsolicited sample, not an endorsement. Ship Plainly made this as a portfolio example from public information only. The maker hasn't seen, asked for, or approved it, and isn't affiliated with us. Facts are from the sources below as read Oct 17, 2026 (~11:30 AM CDT).

Sources (public)

What the public pages say: You pick hardware and a model, and it "simulates tokens/sec and time-to-first-token from verified benchmarks for GPUs, Macs, and more." Measured numbers come from community benchmarks (r/LocalLLaMA, localscore.ai and more). Others are "derived from similar setups or projected from specs." It's open source.

What the HN thread asked for (paraphrased): whether the numbers match real use (one commenter reported their M2 Ultra running faster than the listed M3 Ultra estimate), harness/library versions per benchmark, multi-GPU and hybrid setups, PCIe generation, prefill speed for agentic coding, and older cards like the RX580. The maker replied, asked for model/quant details, and shipped new benchmarks during the thread.

1. Teardown: what's working, what we'd change

Working:

What we'd change:

  1. Lead with trust, because accuracy is the #1 objection. The site already separates "measured" from "derived/projected", but that note lives in small print. Put a measured-vs-projected badge on every result and link each measured number to its source.
  2. Name the buyer moment. "Before you buy" is right. Make it concrete: "Thinking about a 5090, a Mac Studio, or a used 3090? Feel each one first."
  3. Prefill is the next headline. Agentic-coding users said time-to-first-token on long prompts matters more than output speed. If it's on the roadmap, say so.
  4. The crawlable page text is one sentence. The page is a JS app, so search engines and AI answer engines see little. Add a short static "How the numbers work" section and an FAQ.

2. Positioning brief

3. Product Hunt set

Tagline options (≤60 chars):

  1. Feel local LLM speed before you buy the hardware (48)
  2. Watch a model type at your future GPU's real speed (50)
  3. Tokens/sec you can feel, for GPUs and Macs (42)

Description (≤500 chars):

Pick a GPU or Mac and a model, and llmspeed streams text at the speed that setup gets, including time-to-first-token. Numbers come from community benchmarks (r/LocalLLaMA, localscore.ai and more). Each result is labeled measured or projected, so you know how much to trust it. It's free and open source. Built for anyone about to spend real money on local AI hardware and wondering if it'll feel fast enough.

(408 chars. The "labeled measured or projected" line assumes the badges from teardown point 1 are live. Otherwise, cut it.)

Maker first comment: outline + draft (rewrite in your own words before posting; see R5):

Draft: "Hey PH, I built llmspeed because tokens/sec numbers didn't tell me what a model would feel like. Pick hardware and a model and it types at that speed. Measured numbers come from community benchmarks. Projected ones are labeled. Not modeled yet: multi-GPU and long-prompt prefill. What combo should I add next?"

Likely questions: How accurate is this? → measured vs. projected and sources. Why is my machine faster? → harness/quant differences, plus an invite to submit a benchmark. Multi-GPU? → roadmap. Is it open source? → repo link. Will you add prefill? → honest yes/no.

4. X launch thread

  1. Ever wondered if a $2,000 GPU would actually feel fast running a local LLM? I built a page that shows you before you buy. 🧵 [video: two setups typing side by side]
  2. Pick hardware. Pick a model. llmspeed streams text at the tokens/sec and time-to-first-token that setup gets.
  3. Where the numbers come from: community benchmarks (r/LocalLLaMA, localscore.ai and more). If there's no measurement, it's projected and labeled that way.
  4. It surprised me how different "40 tok/s" and "12 tok/s" feel when you watch them. [gif]
  5. What it doesn't do yet: multi-GPU, long-prompt prefill. Both came up on HN and I'm working through them.
  6. Free and open source: [repo link]. Try it: llmspeed.dev
  7. What hardware + model combo should I add next? Replies get read.

(Post 4's "surprised me" line is a maker-voice placeholder. Keep it only if true.)

5. Reddit (2 posts)

A) r/LocalLLaMA. Rule summary (third-party summary, verify sidebar on the day): self-promotion is limited to about 10% of your activity, affiliations must be disclosed, and no engagement-farming (https://threadfox.vip/rules/localllama). Only post if the account participates there regularly.

B) r/SideProject. No sub-specific self-promo rule found; sitewide norms apply and bare links do badly (https://oneup.today/tools/reddit-self-promotion-checker/sideproject).

6. Show HN

Already posted. Here's what we'd keep or change for a future "major overhaul" repost (HN says minor updates usually don't qualify; https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html):

7. Hero rewrite

8. Launch-day checklist (if doing a PH launch)