As I’m preparing to dive into side projects and potential startup ventures, I realized my current MacBook Pro isn’t cutting it for my new triple monitor setup. I’m torn between upgrading to a new laptop or building a desktop workstation. I’ve narrowed it down to two options: a pre-owned M1 Max MacBook Pro or a newer M3 Max MacBook Pro. But I’m also considering building a Linux desktop, although I’m unsure about the specs I’d need and worried about power consumption.
My biggest concern is the lack of a local CUDA-enabled device, which might hinder my learning and development. I’m wondering if a desktop with an NVIDIA GPU would be a dramatically better choice for my AI/ML work, or if I should just rely on cloud providers for the heavy lifting.
While the M1 and M3 Macs are impressive laptops, I’m questioning if the M3 Max’s newer architecture and performance boost are worth the extra money. Or am I being greedy, and either of these laptops is overkill for my needs?
If you’ve faced a similar dilemma, I’d love to hear your thoughts and advice.