Versus Engine
Mac Mini M4 Pro (64GB) vs Mac Studio M2 Ultra
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Mac Mini M4 Pro (64GB) against Mac Studio M2 Ultra, side by side.
Cheaper to start
Mac Mini M4 Pro (64GB)
Starts about $2,000 lower.
Rated higher
Mac Studio M2 Ultra
9.8 vs 9.5 on our design scale.
Standout
Mac Mini M4 Pro (64GB)
64GB unified memory accessible by GPU
Mac Mini M4 Pro (64GB)
Compact unified-memory system built on the Apple M4 Pro with 64 GB shared between CPU and GPU. Runs Gemma 3 27B and Qwen3 30B-A3B at roughly 35-50 tokens/s while operating near-silently — the mid tier of this index for local AI work.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- 64GB unified memory accessible by GPU
- Near-silent operation at 100% load
- Class-leading performance-per-watt
Cons
- Zero post-purchase upgradeability
- Lacks native CUDA ecosystem support
Specifications
- tiermid
- chipApple M4 Pro
- example_modelsGemma 3 27B, Qwen3 30B-A3B
- gpu—
- memory—
- processor—
- storage—
- tokens_per_second35-50
- unified_memory_gb64
Mac Studio M2 Ultra
Apple's desktop workstation configurable with up to 192GB of unified memory for running large language models locally.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- 192GB Unified Memory
- Dead silent operation
- Good power efficiency
Cons
- Zero upgradeability
- Very expensive at high configs
Specifications
- tierenthusiast
- chip—
- example_models—
- gpu76-core GPU
- memoryUp to 192GB Unified
- processorApple M2 Ultra
- storageUp to 8TB SSD
- tokens_per_second—
- unified_memory_gb—