The $899 Mac mini comes with 16 GB of memory, less than I'd start a new agent computer with. Buy the memory and storage you need, without overpaying or falling short.
How to find what your agents are consuming, get more work from the machine you own, and choose the right Mac, NVIDIA system, or spare computer when you need more room.
TL;DR
- Software agents use computer resources like browsers, processes, and files, potentially causing crashes.
- Buying a bigger or faster machine may not solve resource consumption issues caused by agents.
- Before purchasing new hardware, analyze agent activity, what's left running, and its contribution to ongoing work.
- Tools and methods are available to check agent activity without altering the system.
- Implement strategies to end agent jobs, save results, and close servers.
- Schedule heavy computational tasks to optimize performance.
- Consider using an older computer for background tasks to keep the primary machine responsive.
- A companion guide offers prompts, hygiene instructions, and setup walkthroughs for various software.