Buying a $3500 M4 Max Mac Studio for Local LLMs: Config Dilemma
Deus-ex-Machina7 · reddit · 2026-08-07
A developer shared their dilemma on purchasing a Mac Studio specifically for running local LLMs and software development (Docker, Cursor, Claude Code, etc.).
They are currently considering the M4 Max Mac Studio with 64GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, priced at $3,500. The core issue is that RAM capacity is crucial for running large models, and they are debating whether to wait for a potential 96GB or 128GB configuration in a similar price range. However, pessimistic that Apple's RAM upgrade prices will double—as seen with the M5 Max MacBook Pro—they asked the community whether to buy the 64GB version now or wait it out.
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