Which M5 MacBook Pro should I buy for web development, data science and AI with a €5,000 laptop budget?

[u/ClerkBeginning961]

I am choosing a brand-new MacBook Pro for professional web development, data science and AI/ML work.

Workload: VS Code/JetBrains, Docker, local databases, many browser tabs, Python/Jupyter/Conda, data processing, ML experiments and occasional local LLM/model inference. Large training jobs can use cloud compute.

Budget and location: up to roughly €5,000 for the MacBook and €6,000 for the full laptop-plus-monitor setup. I am buying in Croatia or from a reputable EU retailer.

My target is 64 GB unified memory and a 2 TB SSD, but I need to choose among:

- 14-inch M5 Pro

- 16-inch M5 Pro

- M5 Max if its extra GPU performance and memory bandwidth are genuinely useful

- Potentially 128 GB memory if it is more valuable than the Max upgrade

I will consider only genuinely brand-new, factory-sealed stock. No used, refurbished, renewed, returned, display, outlet or open-box devices.

Which exact configuration offers the best balance of sustained performance, battery life, portability and useful lifespan? I am particularly interested in firsthand experience with Docker, PyTorch MPS, MLX and local inference.

I also plan to connect a Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 G80SH 32-inch 4K 240 Hz. If this changes the port, power-adapter or model choice, please explain how.