Recommendations For MacBook
Need recommendations on which MacBook to buy for ML + backend engineering workflows. Mostly learning purpose.
Options I’m considering:
- MacBook Air M5
- MacBook Pro M5
- MacBook Pro M5 Pro
My primary usage:
- Backend software engineering
- AI service development
- Docker/dev containers
- RAG pipeline execution
- Running local LLMs for experimentation
- Trying inference/optimization techniques
- Agentic AI workflows
- Occasional fine-tuning experiments
- Heavy multitasking during development
Would love inputs from people actually using Apple Silicon for ML/AI engineering:
- Is Air enough or does active cooling on Pro matter a lot?
- Recommended RAM config?
- Is M5 Pro worth the premium over base M5 for this kind of workflow?
Would appreciate real-world experiences more than benchmark numbers.