add $2K-tier finds — Techable M1 Ultra 128GB $2499 is the pick

253204e53dfe2f30b27c1b0d9791975740efb0a9 · 2026-05-12 12:25:22 -0700 · Steve
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commit 253204e53dfe2f30b27c1b0d9791975740efb0a9
Author: Steve <steve@designerwallcoverings.com>
Date:   Tue May 12 12:25:22 2026 -0700

    add $2K-tier finds — Techable M1 Ultra 128GB $2499 is the pick
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 </section>
 
 <section>
-  <h2 class="section-title">Expansion candidates — May 2026 marketplace</h2>
+  <h2 class="section-title">$2 K tier — sub-$2,500 finds (May 2026, verified)</h2>
+  <div class="legend">
+    <span><span class="pill pick">PICK</span> standout at this budget</span>
+    <span>resellers checked: Swappa, Techable, OWC, iPowerResale, Apple Refurb, Amazon</span>
+  </div>
+  <table>
+    <thead>
+      <tr>
+        <th>Listing</th>
+        <th>Chip</th>
+        <th class="num">RAM</th>
+        <th>Storage</th>
+        <th class="num">Price</th>
+        <th class="num">$/GB</th>
+        <th>Source</th>
+      </tr>
+    </thead>
+    <tbody>
+      <tr class="picked">
+        <td><strong>Refurb Mac Studio (2022)</strong> <span class="pill pick">PICK</span></td>
+        <td>M1 Ultra · 20-core CPU · 48-core GPU</td>
+        <td class="num">128 GB</td>
+        <td>2 TB SSD</td>
+        <td class="num">$2,499</td>
+        <td class="num">$19.5</td>
+        <td><a href="https://techable.com/collections/refurbished-mac-studio" style="color:var(--accent)">Techable</a> · 2yr warranty</td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>Refurb Mac Studio (2022)</td>
+        <td>M1 Max · 10-core CPU · 32-core GPU</td>
+        <td class="num">64 GB</td>
+        <td>2 TB SSD</td>
+        <td class="num">$1,799–1,999</td>
+        <td class="num">$28–31</td>
+        <td>Techable · "Excellent" · 2yr warranty</td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>Refurb Mac Studio (2023)</td>
+        <td>M2 Max · 12-core CPU · 30-core GPU</td>
+        <td class="num">64 GB</td>
+        <td>1 TB SSD</td>
+        <td class="num">$2,099</td>
+        <td class="num">$33</td>
+        <td>Techable · "Excellent" · 2yr warranty</td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>Used Mac Studio (2023) · mint</td>
+        <td>M2 Max</td>
+        <td class="num">64 GB</td>
+        <td>4 TB SSD</td>
+        <td class="num">$2,457</td>
+        <td class="num">$38</td>
+        <td><a href="https://swappa.com/listing/view/LAEZ07894" style="color:var(--accent)">Swappa LAEZ07894</a> · Latham NY</td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>Used Mac Studio (2022)</td>
+        <td>M1 Max</td>
+        <td class="num">64 GB</td>
+        <td>2 TB SSD</td>
+        <td class="num">$2,472</td>
+        <td class="num">$39</td>
+        <td><a href="https://swappa.com/listing/view/LAET47467" style="color:var(--accent)">Swappa LAET47467</a></td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>Mac mini (new)</td>
+        <td>M4 Pro · 14-core CPU · 20-core GPU</td>
+        <td class="num">64 GB</td>
+        <td>1 TB SSD</td>
+        <td class="num">$2,199</td>
+        <td class="num">$34</td>
+        <td>Apple direct · ⚠️ "currently unavailable" May 2026</td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>Single RTX 3090 build</td>
+        <td>RTX 3090 · 24 GB GDDR6X</td>
+        <td class="num">24 GB VRAM</td>
+        <td>n/a</td>
+        <td class="num">~$2,000</td>
+        <td class="num">$83</td>
+        <td>eBay used GPU + host build</td>
+      </tr>
+    </tbody>
+  </table>
+
+  <div class="rec" style="margin-top: 18px;">
+    <h3><span class="num">⭐</span> The $2,499 winner — Techable M1 Ultra 128 GB / 2 TB</h3>
+    <p><strong>Same 128 GB unified as the M4 Max refurb at $3,139 — but $640 cheaper.</strong> You give up some per-token speed (M1 Ultra ~8–11 tok/s vs M4 Max ~14–18 tok/s on 70B Q4), but for your workload — many small/medium models loaded concurrently for adversarial debate panels — the RAM matters far more than peak single-stream speed. 2-year reseller warranty. 20-core CPU + 48-core GPU. <strong>This is the box.</strong></p>
+  </div>
+
+  <div class="src" style="margin-top:10px">
+    Note: Apple's own refurb store currently has <em>no</em> Mac Studios listed; Apple is funneling them through authorized resellers (Techable, OWC, iPowerResale). Verified by direct fetch May 12 2026.
+  </div>
+</section>
+
+<section>
+  <h2 class="section-title">$3 K+ tier — for reference</h2>
   <div class="legend">
     <span><span class="pill pick">PICK</span> top recommendation</span>
     <span><span class="pill good">value</span> best $/GB</span>
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