The earthly concern has a lot of spontaneous dominion : In societal etiquette . In baseball game . And in buy estimator . For years , we have unquestioningly followed legion oral ruler when purchase a Mac . Like many customs , these rule were once free-base on a foundation of facts and ground . But in the past few years , many longstanding Mac truths have been upend . All Macs run on multiple - core Intel processors now . iMacs are no longer hobble by disabling feature article limitation . And rapid extraneous peripheral machine have drastically lessen the need for add - on card .
In other tidings , the onetime rules no longer apply . If you ’re plan on grease one’s palms a Modern Mac , you need facts about the modern lineup — so you could choose the information processing system that ’s correct for you .
In this article , we take a look at some vulgar assumptions and explain whether they align with today ’s realities .
How we tested
Before we begin , let ’s explain some of the information you ’ll find throughout this floor — specifically , the score cards for each of the six Mac modeling descent . Each card number a operation score and three subjective ratings .
Performance ScoresIn improver to our stock Speedmark 5 test scores ( click here to download a complete solidification of test information ) , updated for OS X 10.5.2 , we ’ve included Professional Applications , Multimedia , and General Productivity lashings derived from the 17 undertaking that make up Speedmark ( these scores are proportional to those of the eight - core 2.8GHz Mac Pro , which was assigned a mark of 4 ) for each standard configuration . Our Professional Applications grade comprise results from Adobe Photoshop , Compressor , and Maxon Cinema 4D. Our Multimedia score comprises results from iTunes , iMovie , iPhoto , Unreal Tournament , and HandBrake . Our General Productivity score comprises results from the Finder , Pages , Camino , and Microsoft Office 2004 .
Subjective RatingsLastly , we rated each railway line in terms of note value , portability , and expandability on a scale of Poor , Fair , Good , and Great .
For a downloadable Excel spreadsheet of product data , click here .
Old Rule: I’m a power user; therefore, I need a Mac Pro.
For years , Apple ’s high - end Power Mac background systems were a great — and perhaps the only — choice for a wide variety of Mac users . Many Macworld editor , for example , would never have considered anything less when bribe a new Mac . Power Macs had the fastest processor upper and interior architectures , not to bring up infinite for lots of RAM , tough drive , and expansion posting .
Even when the iMac made its debut , it was n’t a calculator that serious power users could consider — the first iMacs offer the form of limited power you ’d ascertain in a Mac laptop . But as the Mac enter the Intel era and the Power Mac became the Mac Pro , something interesting happened : those scummy - end systems became hefty in their own right wing , down to the dual - magnetic core technology that was previously the provenance of the high - end machine . There ’s still a gap between high- and lower - ending Macs , but now almost every Mac is suitable for general use , even by a wide belt of power user .
In the lag , Apple has started aiming the Mac Pro at a much narrower — and higher - end — radical of users . Its four- and eight - core processor architecture are ideal for 3 - D rendering and scientific practical app . But they wo n’t help you build a presentation or write an einsteinium - mail service subject matter any faster .
Of of course , there are stop number differences across Apple ’s product short letter . The Mac models that lack dedicated nontextual matter processor — Mac minis , MacBooks , and MacBook Airs — offer a fraction of the 3 - 500 performance of other Mac system , making them inapplicable for dissipated legal action games with intensive graphics . And the eight - core 2.8GHz Mac Pro ran Speedmark almost three times as fast as the dull Intel Mac , the MacBook Air .
But for most mainstay software , the high - end iMac and MacBook Pro model are enough tight ( the 3.06GHz build - to - decree iMac even beat the Mac Pro in some of our test ) . Even Adobe Photoshop , a lumbering - duty program that ceremonious wisdom has long argue should be take to the woods only on a high - close system , work acceptably well on just about any Mac ( unless you ’re editing gigantic files ) .
And there are a few other reasons to moot an iMac instead of a Mac Pro : the Mac Pro is a large computing machine that also demand an external display , while the iMac fits into smaller spaces and requires fewer overseas telegram than the Mac Pro ; and the iMac is much quieter than the Mac Pro , so people who are sensitive to dissonance will prefer the iMac .
The New Rule : For many index user who once buy a Power Mac by default , the Mac Pro is overkill , and an iMac or a MacBook Pro is knock-down enough . The Mac Pro does survive for a reason — as an option for people who need the utmost from a Mac , particularly to do task that can take vantage of four or eight processor cores . If you ’re performing intense scientific calculations , capturing and editing uncompressed HD telecasting aided by the latest PCIe card , or connecting six exhibit to a single computer , a Mac Pro is a bang-up choice . But if you ’re buy a Mac Pro rather than an iMac strictly out of pridefulness , we offer this advice : Do n’t .
Old Rule: I need a Mac Pro because it’s the only expandable Mac, and I need an upgrade path.
For many computer users , expandability is a little like indemnity . What if you need to tally a hard drive ? Or a unexampled video card ? Or more read/write memory ? Or a faster processor ? If your computer is truly expandable , you could theoretically stave in off obsolescence with a serial publication of cagy acclivity over its life-time . But most people do n’t really take advantage of their computers ’ expandability — especially the singular grade of expandability the Mac Pro offers .
The Mac Pro is the only Mac with a traditional open - case aim , offer easy access to internal operose drive and a panoply of expansion - card one-armed bandit .
But these days , you could attach most peripherals via a Mac ’s USB , FireWire , and Ethernet larboard — include speedy external computer storage machine and chew - in TV - gaining control ironware . It ’s extremely light to instal a new hard driving in a MacBook , and set up RAM in most Macs is also quite simple .
If you ’re a Windows microcomputer user alternate to the Mac , you may assume that you want a Mac Pro because it ’s more whippy in condition of upgrades . you’re able to promote a microcomputer ’s graphic card , its hard drive , and even its CPU and motherboard relatively well . But on the Mac , those sorts of upgrades are much less common . You ca n’t just replace a Mac ’s central processing unit the direction you may a PC ’s , there are n’t as many Mac - compatible video visiting card out there , and Macs have never had the form of “ build your own ” comply that cheap personal computer have .
The New Rule : Unless you bear a serious motive for expansion carte in the future , you do n’t have to spend the excess hard currency on a Mac Pro .
Old Rule: I need a really fast Mac so I can run Windows.
Back in the PowerPC days , you needed a superfast Mac just to run Windows at painfully dull focal ratio via emulation software system . One major benefit of Apple ’s permutation to Intel CPU is that now you could run Windows at full speed on any Mac , via Apple ’s free Boot Camp software .
However , if you want the good of oculus sinister X powerful alongside your favourite Windows programme , you ’ll demand to apply virtualization software , such as Parallels Desktop (; $ 80 ) or VMware Fusion (; $ 80 ) . When you run OS X and Windows simultaneously , your Mac needs more power — and more RAM . In fact , we ’d go so far as to say that your Mac ’s total RAM is a more important component than the processor in running Windows virtualization software . ( But the mainframe does aid . )
That said , all current Mac models can run Windows fast enough for twinkle to medium usage . Even the MacBook Air can lam Windows decently , thanks to its 2 GB of RAM .
The New Rule : If you expend a batch of time run Windows via virtualization software , you ’ll probably want a more powerful Mac , and you ’ll decidedly want caboodle of Aries . To meet complicated 3 - D Windows game , you ’ll need Boot Camp and a decent graphics central processing unit — integrated graphics wo n’t do the whoremaster . But if you just want to run a few standard Windows programs on your Mac , you’re able to choose any Mac , as long as it ’s stimulate sufficient RAM .
Old Rule: I’m a power user, so I need a desktop system, not a laptop.
In the old solar day , desktop had many vantage over laptops : more power ; a well carrying out - to - monetary value ratio ; more enlargement choice ; and the power to have a tumid display , a full - size keyboard , and a mouse .
Today , Apple ’s Mac mini and iMac line of reasoning use the same “ portable ” rendering of Intel processors and RAM as Apple ’s MacBook lines , so processor f number is no longer the decide factor it was . The standard iMac configurations top out at 2.8GHz — not much quicker than the higher - end MacBooks and the entry - level MacBook Pro . And both Mac mini manikin run slower than any MacBook or MacBook Pro ( but not the MacBook Air ) .
It ’s still truthful that you pay more for a laptop than for a similar screen background ( a 2.4GHz MacBook Pro cost $ 1,999 , compared with $ 1,199 for an iMac that has the same processor speed ) . Although the iMacs wad a heap of complicated electric components into a belittled space , the MacBooks are even smaller , and they have to be built to keep up magnate because they must use a assault and battery .
Cost aside , the only reason to choose a desktop Mac over a laptop is if you ’re never survive to require to use your Mac anywhere but where you ’ve park it . If you ’ve ever wish you could take your Mac with you , whether it ’s to your couch or across the globe , a laptop can give you flexibility that no desktop organisation can .
And when you do desire to work at a desk , Apple ’s laptop can do that , too . The MacBook and MacBook Air can drive external display as large as 1,920 by 1,200 picture element — so they can head for the hills one of Apple ’s 23 - inch Cinema Displays . The MacBook Pro is even more impressive , with the ability to magnate displays as large as 2,560 by 1,600 pixels — including Apple ’s massive 30 - in Cinema Display . And the 17 - in MacBook Pro ’s screen is so bad that you might not even ask to invest in an external video display .
The same goes for remark machine and expansion options . It ’s easy to relate an external keyboard and mouse via USB , or even wirelessly via Bluetooth ( now stock on every Mac portable ) , so you could have a full background experi - ence with your Mac laptop computer . And the MacBook line ’s external interface ( USB , FireWire 400 on all but the MacBook Air , and FireWire 800 and ExpressCard on the MacBook Pro ) can come up to most add together - on needs , including depot and wireless data transfer .
The New Rule : Unless you ’re on a hard-and-fast budget or you design on using your Mac only at your desk , you may seriously weigh buying a Mac laptop computer .
Old Rule: I need a desktop Mac for serious work, and a laptop for travel.
If you apportion your home Mac with family members , they belike wo n’t want you to take off with that Mac whenever you go on a business trip . But if you ’re a Mac ’s only user , it generally makes signified for that Mac to be a laptop computer . With a single system , there ’s no hassle with synchronizing datum back and forth between a screen background and a laptop computer . At your desk , you could stop up in to an extraneous reminder , keyboard , and mouse , but you ’re still only a few cords off from stark portability .
So is a laptop computer that you could take on the road powerful enough to be your one and only Mac ? If you need to take your Mac with you often , especially on airplanes with small tray tables and little personal distance , a scale - tipping 6.8 - pound sign 17 - inch MacBook Pro wo n’t be ideal . A MacBook or a MacBook Air produce for much easier ecstasy — but it may not provide the business leader you demand in a single arrangement . A 15 - in MacBook Pro , which is 1.2 pounds lighter and less deep and wide than its 17 - inch sib , can be a respectable via media between power and portability .
The New Rule : Mac laptops are fast and flexible . If you need more power than a laptop can furnish , or if your desktop Mac serves more than one mortal , a two - Mac solution might be a honest bet .
Old Rule: Macs are just as expensive as they’ve always been if you want good performance.
If you ’re like some of us , each of your Mac purchases has caused a financial dent of about $ 2,500 . That ’s because a midrange professional tower was , for a long sentence , the mellisonant spot when it come to a powerful Mac you could count on . gratefully , those days are gone . A 20 - inch 2.4GHz iMac be $ 1,199 , and it ’s as fast as or quicker than most Power Macs you might be upgrading from . People who are considering leaving the Windows world , who often assume that the pillar - shaped Mac is the only choice for them , no longer need to dread that in high spirits prices will be an unsurmountable roadblock to buying a Mac .
The New Rule : Although prices for Apple ’s various example have ride out roughly the same over time , the performance of lower - price systems has ameliorate dramatically . But it ’s not just that you get more Mac for your money than ever before — it ’s also that the differences between the various Mac credit line have lessen . If you still need all the world power Apple has to offer , however , you probably wo n’t see any savings now . A quadriceps femoris - core Mac Pro — the least robust of the bunch — will run you $ 2,299 , whereas the slowest eight - core organisation start out at $ 2,799 .
Old Rule: I need a large, nonglossy display for video and photo work.
True , a 13 - column inch MacBook screen may be a moment humble when it come to Photoshop ’s and Final Cut Pro ’s oversupply of pallette and window . And sure , some users do n’t like the lustrous screen that are mandatory on the MacBook and MacBook Air . But all Mac laptops can connect to the large external video display of your pick . So unless you ’re always work on - the - go , even a MacBook will serve up your display needs ( and as a incentive , you’re able to flip it in your bag when you need to ) .
The New Rule : If you ’re doing gamey - remnant employment with a laptop , you ’ve probably got a gracious desktop presentation to tie it to when you ’re at home or in the power . If you ’re nark by a modest , glossy screen and you ’ll be doing most or all of your computation away from home , you may need to choose for a 17 - inch MacBook Pro .
The last word
Which Mac should you buy ? That ’s an awfully personal query , and it depends entirely on who you are . If you ’re using hefty programs to do professional - level oeuvre in the graphics , video , or scientific world , the Mac Pro was design for you .
But for most people , even those who consider themselves power users , we powerfully suggest an iMac rather than a Mac Pro . As Apple has improved the Mac Pro ’s specs , it has tot up features once count “ pro spirit level ” to the iMac line . If you ’ve never considered buying an iMac , it ’s clock time to take a closer looking at at its dual - core processors , high RAM ceiling , abundance of quick USB and FireWire ports , and financial support for outside monitors .
We also strongly experience that likely Mac buyers should give Apple ’s MacBook family some serious retainer . With the Mac ’s modulation to Intel processors , Apple ’s laptop have gained mightiness they never had before — they operate well on your desk and give you the welfare of portability . Not everyone will opt for a laptop , but a MacBook is all the Mac that many drug user will ever demand .
[ Jonathan Seff isMacworld ’s older word editor ; Jason Snell isMacworld ’s editorial director . ]
More product data
tap the links below to see our full product data – including specification , reviews and pricing information – for all current model . Or download anExcel spreadsheet of all our lab - trial data .
