For a €6k portable AI/development setup, prioritize 64–128GB unified memory or CUDA compatibility?

I am trying to make a platform decision for a professional laptop that will be used for both ordinary software development and AI/data-science work over several years. The two approaches I am comparing are: M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro with 64 GB unified memory and 2 TB SSD, possibly 128 GB if that is more valuable. High-end NVIDIA laptop with CUDA but much less GPU memory, more heat/noise and usually worse battery life. Typical work includes Docker-based web development, Python/Jupyter/Conda, dataset work, ML experiments and local inference. Large training jobs can use cloud GPUs, but I want the laptop to remain useful offline and for private/local models. The full laptop-and-monitor budget is €6,000, with roughly €5,000 available for the laptop. I am in Croatia/EU and will buy only brand-new, factory-sealed hardware—no refurbished, used, returned, display or open-box units. I am interested in the architectural tradeoff rather than a brand argument: - For local inference, when does a 64–128 GB unified-memory pool outweigh CUDA's faster and broader software ecosystem? - Which real development workflows still make a local NVIDIA GPU essential? - How much friction is involved in developing on MPS/MLX locally and moving training to remote CUDA? - Does a mobile NVIDIA GPU provide enough VRAM and sustained performance to justify its battery, noise and thermal compromises? - Is a strong daily-driver laptop plus rented/cloud CUDA more flexible than trying to put all compute in one portable machine? - Which platform is likely to retain more practical usefulness as local models and agent workflows evolve? I would especially value answers from people who actively use both Apple silicon and CUDA systems. submitted by /u/ClerkBeginning961 [link] [留言]