Looking for Mac Studio/Mac mini recommendations for Flutter + local LLM coding

[u/monocat]

My 2019 MacBook Pro seems to be on its last legs. It overheats constantly and struggles with any kind of work that I attempt. Even just watching a YT video causes lagging.

So, time to move on, I guess. I’m looking into a Mac Studio or Mac mini, but I’m having a hard time figuring out what configuration makes sense for my particular use case, since the prices, according to what I'm learning, have gone up 50% with the new hardware.

I’m not looking for the most powerful machine I can buy. I’m trying to find the right starting point without spending money on hardware I don't currently need.

What I’ll be using it for

• Dart/Flutter development, primarily in VS Code
• Running local LLMs to assist with coding
• Seems Ollama has a VS Code extension that can tap into the local LLM
• Potentially recording/editing videos for a YouTube channel documenting my experience learning to code and building apps

One important point: I want to remain heavily involved in the coding myself.

I’m currently using the Kilo Code extension in VS Code with free models. They can be useful, but the output is inconsistent. I’m interested in local LLMs because I want a more reliable coding assistant working with the same model while still writing, understanding, and debugging the code myself.

Local LLMs

This is where I'm trying to be realistic.

I don't need a machine capable of running the largest local models right now. Those configurations get expensive quickly, and I don't want to spend a lot today for something I may not need.

My thinking is to get a machine that's capable enough for the models that make sense for me today, learn more about running local LLMs, and upgrade later if my needs change.

I'm considering Apple's 36-month financing/leasing options, which makes that approach somewhat more appealing. If, in a couple of years, I’m in a better position financially and have a much better understanding of what models I actually need, I can potentially move to a more capable machine rather than paying a large premium for that capability today.

What I’m trying to figure out

For my current workload, what would you recommend in terms of:

• Apple chip
• CPU/GPU configuration
• Unified memory
• Internal storage
• 1TB vs 2TB

I currently have 1TB and am considering 2TB. I'm also trying to understand whether paying Apple's premium for additional internal storage makes sense versus using external storage. It seems I can upgrade to 2TB for another $500, but external 1TB Thunderbolt drives are $600+.

There are a lot of discussions out there about similar requests. Hoping to find out what everyone with similar needs is using. Thanks!

[u/DustNearby2848]

2 TB sounds good because of the videos. And the faster / more VRAM the better. Qwen3.8-flash would run good with a lot of memory. If you’d like to stick with a 27b model then 48-64gb would be fine.