Guide to buying a Mac, which Mac do I buy?

Macs to format

Apple computers are very interesting devices that offer good performance and great compatibility with different programs. The main problem we encountered when buy a Mac is that its price is not the most affordable on the market, with an entry model of € 549 (Mac Mini) at the time of writing.

The price problem is what makes us have some doubts and most of them are related to the question "Is a Mac worth it?" If I have to be honest, as the owner of a Mac for several years (the same), I would say without hesitation that it is, but you have to assess all the options. That is why we have written this guide to buying a Mac.

Why buy a Mac

Why buy a Mac?

The reasons for buying a Mac are subjective. If I had to give mine, I would say what I mentioned above: that the Macs offer a remarkable performance always and are compatible with most major applications, such as Photoshop and many other professional programs. With all this we will be able to do anything and practically everything without problems.

In addition, thanks to Bootcamp we can install easily Windows and Linux operating systems, so we can run practically any operating system natively and without complications. I think it is important to highlight "without complications", since there are also Hackintosh that allow us to install OS X on a PC, but this is not the simplest task in the world (someone who did one 4 years ago tells you).

On the other hand, I would also like to mention the designBoth hardware and software, where with a Mac we will have a device with a good image that will offer good sensations at the same time, something that is noticeable even to the touch.

What mac to buy

MacBook

MacBook

The MacBook is the latest laptop launched by Apple. It is a very thin device (so much so that it is said that it can be annoying if we use it sitting on a sofa) that is also relatively powerful. They have Flash memory (SSD), which makes reading and writing data faster, and 8GB of RAM that ensure that several applications can be run at the same time without major problems, but the processor is not the most powerful, for which is not Apple's fastest laptop.

It is available in two models with prices of € 1.449 and € 1.799, both with a 12-inch screen and the more expensive model has twice the storage and a slightly faster processor. The MacBook is intended for users who need a fairly light computer, that it works well and that it is not too big to be able to work with it anywhere.

One very important fact is that the new MacBook only has one port and it is USB-C. It is important because the total price should be added an adapter that offers more ports if necessary.

MacBook Air

MacBook Air

We could say that the MacBook Air is the previous lightweight model, something that is not always bad. Is he cheapest laptop from Apple, having an entry model with an 11.6-inch screen and 128GB storage priced at € 999. It has more ports than the new MacBook, but also a heavier weight and a slightly thinner design. The most expensive model is the 13-inch 256GB Flash Storage (SSD) which has a price of € 1.249.

Without having a very powerful processor, the MacBook Air processor is somewhat faster than the new MacBook, but has half the RAM (4GB). Considering everything the MacBook Air has at the price it's available at, it's a option to consider if we compare it with the new MacBook, especially if we do not plan to have many applications open at the same time or carry out heavy tasks.

The MacBook Air is for anyone who wants a balance between portability, performance and price, since it is cheaper than the new MacBook.

MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro

As a computer that includes the word "Pro" in its name, we could say that the MacBook Pro is Apple's laptop par excellence, the best laptop on apple. It is available in 13 and 15-inch models, which is always appreciated when we are working several hours a day in front of the computer. Its processor is approximately 40% higher than that of the MacBook Air and more than twice that of the MacBook. Plus, it's packed with the 8GB of RAM found in the new MacBook, but the RAM in the MacBook Pro is expandable up to 16GB, which will rarely fall short of practically any task.

The entry model is the 13-inch screen and 128GB of Flash storage that is priced at € 1.449, the same as the new MacBook. Of course, logically it has a greater weight and a less modern design, but the MacBook Pro is intended for those who work while moving and do not care so much about the weight, if not the performance of the computer. I think it is the best option to be able work at full capacity without reaching for an iMac or Mac Pro.

Mac Mini

Mac Mini

The Mac Mini is the cheapest computer of the Apple. The best thing about it is that it is more affordable than the rest of Apple computers, but to achieve it they have had to eliminate all the extras, which include screen, keyboard and mouse. You could say that the Mac Mini is a tower that runs the OS X operating system.

The entry model is priced at € 549 and would offer a similar performance to the new MacBook or MacBook Air, while the highest model is priced at € 1.099 and would have similar performance to the MacBook Pro. Of all the models, only the most expensive has a Fusion Drive, which is a hybrid hard drive that joins a disk standard with one SSD.

In my opinion, the Mac Mini is a good option for those who already have one or more accessories available, and let me explain: if we already have a screen, keyboard and mouse, we can use OS X paying only € 549. In addition, its small size makes it a good option for those who also want to use it as multimedia center or set-top box.

iMac

iMac

IMacs are the desktop computers from Apple. As fixed computers, they offer superior performance to any Apple laptop or Mac Mini, so it should be the option if what we want is outstanding performance without having to buy more peripherals.

The entry-level iMac is the 21,5-inch with a price of € 1.279. The processor is similar to that of the MacBook Air, but it has a better graphics card and its RAM memory is expandable up to 16GB. Its hard drive is 1TB, which is a lot, but it is not an SSD.

The best thing about iMac is that you can add extras. The most expensive model is a 27-inch iMac with a 5K retina display with 8GB of RAM expandable to 32GB that is priced at € 2.629, but that's the stock model. It can be expanded by adding i7 processor, the aforementioned 32GB of RAM, 1TB of Flash storage (SSD), AMD Radeon R9 M395X graphics card and both the Magic Mouse 2 and the Magic Trackpad 2, which would make the computer very good, but it would have a price of € 4.398.

You could say that the iMac is intended for users looking for a higher performance than that offered by the MacBook even those who want to work with the computer almost to the maximum with an Apple operating system, but without reaching the most powerful computer on the block, which is the following.

Mac Pro

Mac Pro

As its name suggests, this computer should be intended only for those who are going to work with he and want a superior performance than iMac. Like the Mac Mini, the Mac Pro is just a tower and you have to add all the peripherals to it, including the mouse, screen, and keyboard.

The Mac Pro is quite a beast that has an entry model with Intel's Xeon E5 processor, 12GB of RAM and a 256GB Flash storage memory (SSD). his price is € 3.449, which is not a low price, but the performance is worth it. Like the iMac, the Mac Pro can be expanded by including a 12-core processor, 64GB of RAM, 1TB of flash memory (SSD), FirePro D700 dual GPU graphics card, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Keyboard, which would give us a super computer that It would have a price of € 11.637 which, logically, is only worth paying if it is going to be profitable or if we are lucky enough to have more money. It is precisely for those people that the Mac Pro is intended.

Conclusion

Apple computers are cheap to us, but they do usually offer a good balance between performance, ease of use, design and comfort. Which is the one that best suits your needs?


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  1.   tony said

    The only computer that is worth buying is the quad-core input mac pro, the rest can now put a fan next to it because if you cannot fry eggs with it ... The rise in temperature ends the years damaging its interior ... That's why I got the most basic 4-core Mac pro ...

  2.   Markus said

    Well, I have a mac mini and nothing is heated at all…. It is not the ostia of powerful, but for the price it is a hell of a computer.