M6 Mac mini and M5 Mac Studio: How Much Do You Need for Local AI?
Apple opened pre-orders for the M5 Mac Studio and M6 Mac mini. I simulated all 13 configurations through llmfit against today's open models. Buy by RAM tier, not chip name: 32GB covers chat and documents, 128GB covers serious daily local work, 256GB opens the 400B class, and even 512GB will not replace Claude or Codex.