Ollama Load Time Can Hide a Fast Local LLM

My local LLM produced tokens at 188.16 tokens per second. The request still took 43.86 seconds. The model was fast, but the load was not.

The short answer: Do not use tokens per second as the only local LLM speed result. Split wall time into model load, prompt work, and output work. A slow load can hide fast output, while a resident model can make the same task feel much faster.

Canonical URL: https://bmdpat.com/blog/ollama-load-duration-local-llm-benchmark-2026

What did the RTX 5090 run record?

On August 4, 2026, I sent a small decision task to llama3.1:8b through Ollama. The request used a 1,024-token context limit. It read 44 prompt tokens and wrote 32 output tokens.

The first row in my August 27 report recorded 43,860 ms of wall time. Ollama reported 43,476.3 ms of model load, 183.2 ms of prompt work, and 170.06 ms of output work. The output rate was 188.16 tokens per second.

That output rate sounds fast because it is fast. It only describes the output phase. It does not include the long load that the user had to wait through.

The next request used the same model, token counts, and context limit. Its wall time fell to 530 ms. Ollama reported 142.43 ms of load and 208.98 ms of output work.

The report did not record the model residency state. I will not label the second row as a proven warm run. I can state the narrower result: the second request had far less load time, and its full wait was about half a second.

Which Ollama timing fields matter?

Ollama returns separate timing fields from its generate endpoint. Its API reference defines total_duration, load_duration, prompt_eval_duration, and eval_duration in nanoseconds.

I convert those values to milliseconds before I compare runs. Each field answers a different question.

total_duration shows Ollama's full request time. load_duration shows time spent on model load. prompt_eval_duration shows time spent on the input. eval_duration shows time spent on output tokens.

I also keep an outside wall clock. It includes client work and local transport around the Ollama call. If the wall clock and total_duration differ by a large amount, I check the client path before I blame the model.

This split extends the wall-clock test I use beside tokens per second. One rate cannot explain every part of a request.

Why can tokens per second give the wrong verdict?

Tokens per second answers a narrow question: how fast did the model write after output work started? A person waiting for a coding agent cares about the full delay before the useful result arrives.

A cold load can dominate a short task. A long prompt can move the delay into prompt work. A large output can make output work dominant. The same model can therefore need different changes for three slow requests.

If load time is high, I check model reuse, process churn, and memory pressure. If prompt time is high, I check context size and repeated input. If output time is high, I compare model size, quant, runtime settings, and hardware fit.

I do not tune all three at once. That would erase the cause. I change one boundary, run the same task again, and save another row.

How should a local LLM benchmark store timing?

Store the raw duration fields with the model, runtime version, prompt count, output count, context limit, and wall time. Keep the source unit or save the conversion rule beside the schema.

Do not replace total time with output rate. Keep both. A benchmark row should let another builder answer two separate questions: how fast was token output, and how long did the request make the user wait?

I also record missing state as missing. My August 4 rows say residency_state=unrecorded. That is better than changing an unknown into a warm-load claim.

This follows the same rule as my local LLM benchmark decision record. A measurement earns a decision only when the row keeps enough context to explain it later.

What should you change first?

Start with the largest measured part of the request. In my 43.86-second row, model load was the clear first target. Output speed was not the problem to solve.

Then repeat the exact workload. Keep the prompt, token cap, context limit, and model fixed. Compare the full timing split, not one attractive rate.

That small rule prevents wasted tuning. It also stops a fast token rate from hiding a slow user path.

Accompanying prompt

What the prompt does: Reviews one Ollama benchmark row and finds which measured phase should get the first change.

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Role: You are a local LLM benchmark reviewer. Context: Paste one benchmark row with model, wall time, total_duration, load_duration, prompt_eval_duration, eval_duration, token counts, and runtime settings. Task: 1. Convert all durations to one unit. 2. Find the largest measured phase. 3. Name one change that targets only that phase. Output: - A timing table with wall, load, prompt, and output time. - A first-change recommendation with a pass or fail rule. - A list of missing fields that block a stronger claim. Constraints: - Keep it short. - Use exact numbers and file paths when available. - Do not invent missing measurements.

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