[ThePhysicist]

Apple RAM prices always had quite a bit of margin though, I think they charged around 4x the going market rate per GB (that said you can't fully compare their RAM to a loose DIMM stick). I was planning to pick up a new Mac Studio this autumn, now I'll have to see if I can afford it, though I have been spending 1,000 USD on LLM subscriptions in some months so I guess even a 10,000 USD Studio Mac amortizes quite fast if it allows me to run coding models locally.

[yreg]

The funny thing is that currently Apple's RAM upgrades are cheaper than the loose dimm sticks.

I've just got a new MBP this month, because I expect the prices to rise significantly with the new macbooks in the fall.

[theturtletalks]

I would wait until the next Mac Studio. Rumors are it will have 768GB max memory and with the M6 Max chip, even faster prefill. I feel like it’s the endgame.

[kilroy123]

Yeah for like $25,000+

[theturtletalks]

Probably will be but I have a feeling the days of $20 and $100 coding plans are winding down. Now that people are so used to using agents, they will raise prices and tighten their grip. At $20k, I might be tempted.

[Xiol]

That's an expensive looking 'if'.

[esperent]

> you can't fully compare their RAM to a loose DIMM stick

Why?

[lynguist]

https://macmagazine.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/18-tea...

This image shows it best.

The memory is on the same package as the SoC. (It's not on the motherboard.)

[kg]

IIRC modern Apple devices integrate the memory into the whole SoC instead of making it separate on the board and replaceable. It's definitely not swappable like a DIMM or CAMM module would be. Can't find a photo of a decapped M4 chip to prove it, though...

[lynguist]

Check my sibling comment for a photo link (M1); or here:

https://macmagazine.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/18-tea...

[MadnessASAP]

Its not integrated to the SoC, it is soldered to the mainboard though.

[theshackleford]

The memory is not integrated into the SoC die itself, but it is packaged alongside the SoC rather than being separately mounted.

[esperent]

At Apple scale I would have thought that makes it cheaper, not more expensive.

[dirasieb]

there's no local AI model that comes even close to the ones you get access to by paying 1000 USD per month

[digitaltrees]

The large models are really close in my experience. Just slower.