Tag Archives: Apple

Apple, Hardware

Yet another Mac Studio M3 Ultra this time with 512GB

Did I say enough…..
meh….

Okay lesson learned, never enough.
My “1 month old” M3 Ultra 256GB went out of memory running all those models and podman containers in parallel.



My current setup is:
OpenWebUI:
-> LM Studio, Aya-Vision-32b,
-> ComfyUI workflow with t5xxl, Flux1.dev, llama-3.1
-> MCP proxified: Searxng, wikipedia, docling, context7, time, memory, weather, sequential-thinking
Podman: 24 containers including supabase, wikijs, watchtower…

Also I discovered that I can use OpenWebUI, SwarmUI, exo and even mlx
to distribute workload across both Mac Studios via 80GBs thunderbolt 5 bridging.

And with the orange clown, you never know if there will be a new M4 Ultra next year at all.

LLM

LLM full throttle on M3 Ultra 84 Watts !

What a crazy efficiency monster.
Running a LLM on all 80 GPU cores and the system is only drawing 84 Watts…..

Nvidia must be crying at night.

and this is only M3, M4 is even more efficient, but yet not available as an ultra fusion variant, and end of year Apple will manufacture in 2nm



Apple, Hardware

Upgraded my old M1 mini to Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB

Finally the latest Mac Studio was released, unfortunately only with M3 chip instead of a M4, but I simply waited too long already.
Let’s see how this one compares to the previous M4 Pro I bought for my son in regards to LLM’s.

This one will be used with Podman Desktop, LM Studio and hopefully be fast enough to also handle voice recognition and rendering in realtime.

256GB VRAM will be more than enough for my use cases, 96GB was simply not enough as I already saw that on the 64GB M4.

Apple, Hardware

M4 Pro mini for my son

Time to pass along one of my old M1 minis to my parents, and get a newer M4 Pro for my son, and of course further LLM testing.

So I decided to get the maximum configuration with 64GB and the pro version with highest frequency and core count.

Not sure if it will be sufficient for video rendering in ComfyUI as well, let’s see.
Overall I expect a 4 times faster speed for across all scenarios.

Apple, Hardware

Apple Magic Keyboad with Fingerprint Sensor

I really did hesitate a long time due to the high price for that Apple Keyboard with fingerprint sensor, a.k.a. Touch ID.

The Apple Magic Keyboard with Fingerprint Sensor has become indispensable for me, thanks to its seamless blend of security, convenience, and elegance. The fingerprint sensor—integrated into the Touch ID/power button—is a game-changer for authentication. Gone are the days of typing passwords across countless apps and websites; now, a simple touch logs me in instantly. This is especially transformative with Passkeys, Apple’s passwordless login system. My fingerprint replaces clunky passwords for iCloud, Safari accounts (like Google or Microsoft), and third-party services, making security feel effortless. No more memorizing complex strings or fumbling with two-factor codes—just a tap to unlock my digital life.

The sensor’s placement is perfect, nestled into the right-side function keys, so it feels natural while typing. Even in low light, I never miss it. Beyond convenience, Touch ID ensures biometric data stays encrypted on-device (via Secure Enclave), giving me peace of mind that sensitive info isn’t stored online or shared with apps.

The keyboard itself is a joy to use: crisp key travel, whisper-quiet mechanics, and the sleek aluminum build typical of Apple peripherals. Whether coding, writing, or browsing, the tactile feedback keeps me productive for hours without fatigue. Pairing it with my Mac is instant via Bluetooth, and the battery lasts weeks on a single charge.

For anyone juggling passwords daily—or embracing Passkeys—the Magic Keyboard’s fingerprint sensor isn’t just a luxury; it’s a productivity upgrade that redefines how we interact with our devices securely. I’ll never go back to traditional keyboards.