Trained Brains / Hardware

What to run your Trained Brains on.

Trained Brains designs, builds and supports the agents; you own the machine they run on, so your data and credentials stay with you. Here is what we recommend, from one Brain to a whole team of them.

Baseline · 1 Brain

Starter

$899 Mac mini

Plenty for n8n and one or two Trained Brains using cloud models like Claude. Quiet, low power, runs 24/7.

Mac mini, M6 chip
16GB memory · 256GB storage
1 Brain, a few workflows
Cloud AI models

Mac mini M6 at Apple ↗PC option: Beelink SER8 (Ryzen 7 8745HS), from about $619 ↗

Small team

$899+ with 32GB

Room for several Brains, busy workflows and a small private model for sensitive data. The sweet spot for most businesses.

Mac mini, M6 chip
Configure 32GB memory · 512GB storage
2–4 Brains in parallel
Cloud models + small local model

Configure a Mac mini at Apple ↗PC option: Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370), configure with 64GB ↗

Multi-agent · 5+ Brains

Department

$1,699+ M5 Pro

For a department of Brains running side by side, heavier data work, and larger private models that keep data in-house.

Mac mini, M5 Pro chip
Configure 48–64GB memory · 1TB
5+ Brains, many schedules
Mid-size local models

Mac mini M5 Pro at Apple ↗PC option: GMKtec EVO-X2 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 64–128GB), about $1,999–$3,299 ↗

Use what you have

Existing server or cloud

$0 hardware

Already have a server, a VM host or a cloud account? A Trained Brain runs there too, inside your existing security setup.

4+ vCPU
8–16GB memory per host
50GB+ SSD
Linux, Windows or macOS

Ask us to check your setup ↗

Apple currently sells the Mac mini with either the M6 chip or the M5 Pro chip, which is why the tiers above mix the two. Prices checked October 2026 and change often; check the retailer. We don’t resell hardware and these aren’t paid placements. We’ll confirm the right machine for your Brains during discovery, and set it up as part of your project.

How to choose

Memory matters most.

Each Brain and each workflow run holds its work in memory. More memory means more Brains at once and bigger private models.

You want	Memory	Good fit
One Brain using cloud AI (Claude)	16GB	Mac mini M6 · Ryzen 7 mini PC
2–4 Brains, busy inbox or support queue	32GB	Mac mini M6 (32GB) · Ryzen mini PC (64GB)
Sensitive data on a private local model	32–64GB	Mac mini M5 Pro · Ryzen AI Max+ mini PC
A department of Brains plus larger local models	64–128GB	Mac mini M5 Pro (64GB) · Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (128GB)

Wired networkPlug it into your router with Ethernet. Wi-Fi works, but wired is steadier for 24/7 work.

Battery backup (UPS)A small UPS, around $100, rides out power blips. We set it to restart on its own after an outage.

BackupsAn external SSD or cloud backup for the workflows and logs. We configure it during setup.

No monitor neededIt runs headless in a closet or on a shelf. We manage it securely through an encrypted tunnel.

Not sure what you need?

Design your Brain first. We’ll size the hardware.

Your blueprint tells us how many Brains, how much volume and whether private models are needed. We recommend the machine with it.

Design my Brain See pricing