US · Aug 16, 2026
Best bang for your buck Mac mini
The Mini is the best bang-for-your-buck Mac in the building, but only if you already own a screen. This page assumes you do. If you do not, the homepage adds a $299 display to the compared price.
Skip 256GB unless you live in the cloud. RAM is soldered; buy the memory you will still want in 2028.
Best bang
$1,999
13-inch MacBook Air
M5 · 10 CPU / 10 GPU · 32GB · 1TB · 10 GPU NA · 153 GB/s
New
- Per GB RAM
- $62
- Per CPU
- $200
- Per GPU
- $200
- Per GPU NA
- $200
GPU NA is M5+ Neural Accelerators in the GPU (matmul / time-to-first-token), not the 16-core Neural Engine. Token generation tracks memory bandwidth.
Best bang for your buck this week: 13-inch MacBook Air (M5, 32GB / 1024GB) at $1,999 as of Aug 16, 2026, ranked for code.
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Cheaper pass
$679
Mac mini
M4 · 10 CPU / 10 GPU · 16GB · 512GB · no GPU NA · 120 GB/s
Apple Certified Refurbished · list $999
- Per GB RAM
- $42
- Per CPU
- $68
- Per GPU
- $68
- Per GPU NA
- —
GPU NA is M5+ Neural Accelerators in the GPU (matmul / time-to-first-token), not the 16-core Neural Engine. Token generation tracks memory bandwidth.
Cheaper machine that still clears the bar: refurbished Mac mini (M4, 16GB / 512GB) at $679 as of Aug 16, 2026, ranked for code.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links, at no extra cost to you. (paid link)
More RAM
$5,299
Mac Studio
M3 Ultra · 28 CPU / 60 GPU · 96GB · 1TB · no GPU NA · 819 GB/s
New
- Per GB RAM
- $55
- Per CPU
- $189
- Per GPU
- $88
- Per GPU NA
- —
GPU NA is M5+ Neural Accelerators in the GPU (matmul / time-to-first-token), not the 16-core Neural Engine. Token generation tracks memory bandwidth.
More unified memory for the same job: Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 96GB / 1024GB) at $5,299 as of Aug 16, 2026, ranked for code.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links, at no extra cost to you. (paid link)
FAQ
Mini or Mac Studio?
Studio if you need Max/Ultra GPU or 64GB+. Mini if you want the same M4/M4 Pro idea for less money.