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MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

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Re: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

#481
post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. This page has several ways to get older macOS versions: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102662 , but the earliest macOS version you can use on Apple Silicon is macOS 11. If you move your home directory to a different disk partition, you can even share it between two different macOS versions!

these Macs can't go below Tahoe. People on Mac Rumours were complaining about M5 MacBooks unable to install Sequoia, so it's safe to assume Pro/Max chips will be the same.

This. You can’t downgrade below the version the device ships with (a forked build of the current version at time of mass production)

Re: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

#482
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s exactly that. They are buying the base model just for that. You are not going to do much local AI with those 16GB of ram anyway, it could be useful for small things but the main purpose of the Mini is being able to interact with the apple apps and services.

16GB should be enough for TTS/Voice models running locally no ? I was thinking about having a home assistant setup like that where the voice is local and the brain is API based

I run ministral for my home knowledge database on 24G iMac and some other non-agentic LLM things.

Re: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

#484
post #430

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With M3 Max with 64GB of unified ram you can code with a local LLM, so the bar is much lower

But why? Spending several thousand dollars to run sub-par models when the break-even point could still be years away seems bizarre for any real usecase where your goal is productivity over novelty. Anyone who has used Codex or Opus can attest that the difference between those and a locally available model like Qwen or Codestral is night and day. To be clear, I totally get the idea of running local LLMs for toy reason…

I started doing it to hedge myself for inevitable disappearance of cheap inference.

Re: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

#485

The question is when Apple Laptops are going to be able to run LLMs with a performance comparable to what the AI companies are offering?

Never - data centers will always offer more power if you only care about raw inference speed. HOWEVER I think that we'll reach the 'good enough' bar super soon. In 2-3 years I expect apple macs to be able to run a model as 'good' as Claude 4.6 sonnet at 90% of the inference speed we're used to from a cloud API.

Yes, I'm sure by then there will be better models on offer via cloud providers, but idk if I'll even care. I'm not doing science / research or complex mathematical proofs, I just want a model good enough to vibe code personal projects for fun. So I think at that point I'll stop being a OpenAI / Anthropic customer.

Re: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

#486

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU forbids them from including power adapters. They're still included everywhere else.

Except that it's literally not true and people are repeating it for some stupid reason, I assume you just never actually looked it up - laptops are specifically excluded from that regulation, and in fact Apple does bundle a power adapter with their laptops, just not on the cheapest models.

> in fact Apple does bundle a power adapter with their laptops, just not on the cheapest models.

Here in the UK, they no longer include the power adapter even with the top models. I just specced out a fully-loaded M5 Max Macbook Pro, 128GB RAM, 8TB storage on the Apple Store, and it doesn't include a power adapter by default.

The 140W power adapter can be added as an option to the MacBook Pro for an additional £99 + VAT, or purchased separately. If you purchase separately you can of course choose a lower-power adapter for a lower price.

Now that a power adapter isn't included and you have to pay for it separately, it might make more sense to get one of the good brands of GaN power adapters instead, because they are smaller than the Apple ones for the same power, and have more ports.

Re: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

#488
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s $400 to go from 16GB to 32GB. No change from the previous models then, 16GB->32GB was already $400. They're cutting into their previously enormous margins to keep the prices stable, rather than hiking the prices to maintain their margins.

Apple's previous policy of price gouging for RAM means no need to raise prices yet, they still have a buffer.

They also have long term contracts with the suppliers in all likelihood

Re: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

#489

I love the following section of their copy: > Even More Value for Upgraders > The new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max mark a major leap for pro users. There’s never been a better time for customers to upgrade from a previous generation of MacBook Pro with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac. I read as "Whoops we made the M1 Macbook Pro too good, please upgrade!" I think I will get another 2-5 years…

I have an M1 Max Macbook Pro, and having used many employer's newer variants of M-series macbook's since then, I'm still very satisfied with my M1 Max but

the air series is really good, and very light

my M1 is now noticeably heavy and I don't think upgrading to another Macbook Pro is the move the resell value of the M1 did not hold, specifically the bumped up storage models. There doesn't seem to be a market for 8TB of space specifically, but the base 1 - 2TB holds its value because the baseline of the MBP holds its value

M5 Max looks tempting if there is a very compelling tradein, but the M1 Max is pretty old so I don't have real hope of that, but I'll look. For AI Inference the difference doesn't seem good enough yet and necessary enough. I'll still need to use the cloud or aspire to have a specialized machine with more RAM or circuitry on my network.

Re: MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

#490
post #367

I feel like Apple pulled an Instant Pot with the M1 MacBook Pro. I still haven't had a single situation where I felt like spending more money would improve my experience. The battery is wearing out a bit, but it started out life with so much runtime that losing a few hours doesn't seem to matter.

> The battery is wearing out a bit, but it started out life with so much runtime that losing a few hours doesn't seem to matter. this is my exact opposite experience. my M3 Max from 2 years ago now has <2hrs battery life at best. wondering if any experts here can help me figure out what is going on? what should i be expecting?

My M3 Max can burn through battery much faster than my M1 Max ever could.

And some apps are really inefficient. New Codex app drains my battery. If you are using Codex I recommend minimizing it, since it’s the UI that uses most power.

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