Refurb M4 Pro Mac minis may still make sense for local LLM use
A M4 Pro Mac mini may be a better buy for local than waiting for a possible M5 or M6 Mac mini. The main reason is that often depends more on and large memory capacity than on a newer chip generation. M5 may be faster at pre-fill, where the computer first reads and prepares the prompt, but the speed gain during ongoing inference may be small compared with M4.
High-memory Macs, including Mac minis and Mac Studios, are also hard to find right now. One example is an M4 Pro Mac mini with 64 GB memory and 1 TB storage bought for 2,379 CAD before tax, about 1,700 USD. The planned use is mostly video and music , with some local .
The timing is the concern: the buyer already has an RTX 4080 gaming laptop and does not urgently need a new computer, but possible new M5 or M6 minis could arrive soon.
Key points
- may depend more on memory size and than on the newest chip generation.
- M5 could improve pre-fill speed, but ongoing inference may not improve much over M4.
- A 64 GB memory, 1 TB M4 Pro Mac mini was bought for about 1,700 USD before tax equivalent.
- High-memory Mac minis and Mac Studios are currently difficult to find.
- If an upgrade is not urgent, compare M4 Pro prices with the risk and timing of future M5 or M6 models.