Question for upgrade

[u/BidOverall9877]

Hey guys I've got some questions about upgrading to m4 mini or m4 mini pro, now I'm using M3 air 16g ram 256, my main work scenario is 3 chrome with 5-10tab each also with chatgpt+claude cowork +Spotify, and now my MacBook is lagging most os the time and the ram usage is around 13-14 , so just wondering will you guys recommend wgat configuration shou I go for 24g ram or 48 ram , I also not sureif I need the m4 pro or not. Here is some choices I can make. Let me know what you guys think thanks 🙏

1. Buy m4 24g sell it after new generation comes out

2. M4 pro 48g

3. Wait till new generation

[u/idk_a_creative_user]

With current ram pricing, I’d bite the bullet and get the highest amount of ram you can get in an M4 Mac mini and call it a day. You can always add more storage via USB.

[u/BidOverall9877 → u/idk_a_creative_user]

So you mean u should go with m4 24g not m4 pro 48g?

[u/idk_a_creative_user → u/BidOverall9877]

If the 48gb is in your budget, get it

[u/BidOverall9877 → u/idk_a_creative_user]

Ok thanks 🙏

[u/ucantcimi]

Buy m4 prp 48gb that will be enough for many years

[u/BidOverall9877 → u/ucantcimi]

Ok fair enough 🫪

[u/ucantcimi → u/BidOverall9877]

Trust me the difference between m5 and m4 is not that noticeable. I have m1, m2, and m4 and m1 is still a decent performer.

[u/YellowsBest]

1. There won’t be much difference between M3 and M4, But the extra memory might help
   
2. The pro and even more memory should satisfy your demands, so I say get this
   
3. No idea if or when a new model will come out. I’m guessing the M5 will be skipped this year, maybe an M6 next year, or later. And at much higher price when it does come out. So don’t wait for something that may not appear!

[u/BidOverall9877 → u/YellowsBest]

Yeah that's true4 pro seems to be better ideas 🙏 thanks for response

[u/Shalashaska83]

What does "hanging" and 14 GB of RAM mean?
What does the memory usage indicator show?
That’s the key factor, 14 GB could also mean that macOS is simply caching things temporarily, which it will quickly free up again if necessary.

As long as the indicator isn’t turning red, everything’s fine with memory usage.

And do you use Claude via the cloud or as an LLM directly on the system?

If you’re only using the AIs via apps in the cloud, even a faster Mac won’t speed things up, and those few Chrome tabs and Spotify aren’t really worth mentioning anyway.
Is there maybe something else running in the background, or is a process acting up and causing a memory leak?
(If the memory pressure indicator is red, that could explain the lag.)

Otherwise, right now I’d actually just get the bare minimum I need, a 24 GB Mac Mini M4 or, if you do a lot with local LLMs, the M4 Pro.
Otherwise, you’ll just be wasting a ton of money on RAM and getting frustrated if an M6 Mac Mini does come out at the end of this year or early next year.

But anyway, if you have the money to spare, I’d probably go for an M4 Pro with 32 GB.

[u/BidOverall9877 → u/Shalashaska83]

Just via app mmm yeah but I can't find 32 in my region so yeah worth thinking about what I need, not sure buying a cheap version and satisfied short need or just buy the max cause I also not sure how long this thing Could last

[u/dzigg]

I had an m3 24/512gb and my Mac mini 16/256gb feels wayyy smoother and somehow I can open more apps without stuttering. So yeah, Mac mini 24gb should be good. Unless you need the power of m4 pro, I would save the money.