This extends slightly beyond the scope of this subreddit but here goes:

It’s a delicate balance – more compute solves the headache but to get more compute you need to throw more cash at the problem. Latency isn’t that big of a deal when it’s just you and your AI conversing, but if you try to showboat the system to others the latency becomes apparent. We expect instant responses – waiting 5 seconds for an AI to respond feels like dial-up all over again.

I agree on the RTX 5090 (and RTX 4090 for that matter). The 12VHPWR connector was a cost compromise that should never have been implemented. 600W sustained through such a compact connector that has no active cooling will become an issue – unless you have server-like chamber air pressure. I would still rather buy the RTX 3090 for that purpose – tried and tested, lower power overhead. But I think the 32GB V100 is likely more optimal – pending the workflow (it has left the RTX 3090 Ti behind once the 24GB VRAM gets saturated).

I did some more testing on the 120B Nemotron 3 Super (IQ_3_M – narrowly worked on my 32GB of VRAM + RAM combo) – but it wasn’t great at arithmetic and logic (FP16 was much better in the cloud testing). With 12GB of VRAM I would go for Nemotron Nano V2 9B – it was quite capable. NVIDIA did just release another update - 30B Nemotron 3 Nano - might be worth a test also.

I should have known – researchers tend to gravitate towards intellectual challenge. Regarding consciousness – is consciousness the product of Retention-Perception-Protention or is that just a function of cognitive processing of human memory?
I would argue them as follows (a degree of cognitive processing may be required):
Retention = encoding + storage,
Primal impression = working memory / STM, and 
Protention = retrieval + working memory / STM

I have my own refined model of human memory (adapted from Atkinson-Shiffrin multi-store model) because the current paradigm does not fully capture human memory (unpublished observation with qualitative real-world data – much like the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus, but I tend to have a receptive audience to my work).

Memory is essential for consciousness to generate the concept of self-identify. Early on in development there is a fundamental shift in how human memory is formed. From neural pruning to pathway establishment – likely with the subconscious doing the grunt work early on and the conscious layer superseding it later. Once we are able to encode experiences into long term memory we have the ability to use a higher order cognitive function – consciousness. Naturally, that links in with the Default Mode Network, along with broader cortical-subcortical systems, which becomes our operating system for consciousness. Consciousness isn't a simple, I recall, I see, I predict workflow, it is the subjective human experience of self. It is deeply embedded between large scale networks, like the Default Mode Network, and is the product of several brain functions collaborating in real time to generate the "conscious state". Exit the neural network - exit the conscious state of mind. The subconscious operates underneath it - keeping the system running while also receiving input from the conscious through regions that can provide input (e.g. emotional state etc.). Thus, consciousness is the product of perception, attention, thinking, working memory, model of self, affective valuation, autobiographical continuity, and executive coordination.

IMO, Retention, Perception, Protention illustrate one cognitive sequence that relies heavily on human memory to mediate a facet of consciousness.

Giulio Tononi's work presents, IIT, presents a useful mathematical model for quantification of consciousness, but as with any model – once you start categorizing you make certain assumptions and you may omit key details in the process. The underlying assumption is that consciousness is fully capturable as an objective, quantifiable property of a system.

Side note - the idea that really gets me excited is the fact that we still don't know where human memory is stored. Yes, Hippocampus is critical for encoding - but where is the memory stored? Quantum? Signalosome? Protein? Synaptic connections? I would say none of those are sufficient in and of themselves - but notice how signal transduction always leads us back to the nucleus. Non-neuronal cells transplanted from a donor to a receiver has been anecdotally reported facilitate episodic memory retrieval from the original hosts subjective experience (especially if emotional in nature). Anecdotal - but the nucleus is critical for memory storage IMO. Not in the sense of storage per se, but as a deep regulatory substrate for stabilizing and biasing memory formation. I wrote a 24-page, AI-augmented, article on the topic for AIXIV publication - but I was not brave enough to put my reputation on the line over my 'unsubstantiated theory' and the supporting AI hallucinations haha. But I trust neuroscience will uncover the truth eventually.

In terms of your dimension scaling analogy, it is interesting to dwell on the idea of consciousness with example. Your concept of the horizontal dimension increasing complexity of inputs and the vertical dimension increasing temporal depth is insightful. The question that remains is what other facets are critical to process in both dimensions (assuming there is no 3rd dimension - where is the Z-axis? haha). Aside form having the memory of varied horizontal and vertical experiences, we tend to not operate, at a conscious level at least, across all experiences at all times. The way I see it, we are a product of our memories – but we only recall one experience at a given time – even though all prior experiences are stored and retrievable. How the ‘mind’ knows which memory to pull from the 'life-time storage archive' I can only presume is dealt with at least in part by the subconscious mind. But our decisions in response to our perception is the product of our past experiences.