{"id":89735,"date":"2024-02-23T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T22:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=89735"},"modified":"2024-06-17T15:37:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T20:37:47","slug":"the-ultimate-mac-buyers-guide-part-1-choosing-the-best-mac-for-your-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/89735-the-ultimate-mac-buyers-guide-part-1-choosing-the-best-mac-for-your-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Mac Buyer’s Guide, Part 1: Choosing the Best Mac for Your Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is the first in a series of articles from Mac Expert Lloyd Chambers examining the many considerations Mac users must make when choosing the best Mac for their needs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Part 2<\/em><\/a>, Lloyd discusses the huge value of new vs. used Macs. In Part 3<\/em>,<\/a> he discusses high-end configurations, and in Part 4<\/a>, he tackles how to figure out how much memory your Mac really needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Buying a computer is a partial confusopoly with a frosting of FUD*: RAM, flash drive, CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, etc. More is better, right? Not so fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spend more and play it safe? Spending too much for what won\u2019t matter is bad enough, but spending more and still<\/em> not getting what will help is most costly of all, especially at the high end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will help organize your thinking as to which Mac is best for you<\/em>, while avoiding technical jargon. You can then buy with confidence, though professional users might need a bit more thought. Luckily, it\u2019s hard to go wrong if a few things are first considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below<\/strong>: 16 or 32 or 48GB? 1TB or 2TB or 4TB or 8TB SSD? 32-core GPU or 40-core? 14 or 16 inch? How would you decide other than cost, not really knowing what matters and what does not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 * FUD = Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt about whether to pay for more memory\/CPU\/GPU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Categories of usage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Actual needs vary widely, and there are exceptions. Before we get into the actual specs, first consider these general groupings of use cases, and pick the one that best applies and keep that in mind as we proceed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casual<\/strong> \u2014 Web browsing, internet, mail, zoom calls. Mostly consuming\/communicating, with little or no creating\/producing\/publishing.
Everyday<\/strong> \u2014 Casual usage plus spreadsheets, word processing, light photo work, etc.
Intermediate<\/strong> \u2014 Everyday plus significant photo and\/or video editing for more or larger images, light video processing, etc. Storage needs are larger.
Professional<\/strong> \u2014 Intermediate usage (for work or work-like hobbies or similar) but with frequent\/regular workloads, often on a timeline\/deadline. Storage needs may be large and may have performance and\/or reliability requirements.
Power User<\/strong> \u2014 Professional user tasks difficult to accomplish without serious hardware eg high-end video processing, high-end photography with many large images, etc. Storage needs may be very large, with demanding requirements for performance, reliability, backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also consider what\u2019s in your existing Mac? Use \/Applications\/Utilities\/System Information.app<\/strong> for hardware details and System Settings => Storage<\/strong> to see current drive usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laptop or Desktop?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If it has to be carried, the physical aspects quickly decide a lot. Maybe you fly frequently, or like hanging-out at a coffee shop or on the couch. Hence the laptop solution, which limits display size and other choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, you pay more and get less with a laptop<\/strong>, including lower reliability, inferior ergonomics, etc. If it\u2019s just going to sit on a desk, consider a desktop computer. It will cost less and do more for the same money. Laptops:<\/p>\n\n\n\n