How to choose the best Mac for college

Best MacBook

When choosing the best mac for college, we must take into account a series of factors, since it is probable that with a iPad be more than enough by making a smaller investment.

However, if we also need a keyboard and mouse, depending on the model, in the end we can get to pay the same as a MacBook Air, the cheapest Apple laptop.

MacBook processors

MacBook Pro range

If we talk about a Mac for college, we can't talk about the iMac range, Mac mini or Mac Studio, since they do not offer us the portability that we need and they do offer us the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro range.

In 2020, Apple released the first processor with ARM architecture, the M1. Since then, the Cupertino-based company has launched 3 new models (Pro, Max and Ultra), although only 3 of them are available in the laptop range: M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max.

At the moment, the M1 Ultra, Apple's most powerful ARM processor, is only available (at the time of publishing this article) in the mac studio (It will probably also come to the Mac Pro).

M1

Apple's M1 processor was the first processor with ARM architecture that Apple launched on the market. This processor is available in both the MacBook Air range and the iPad Pro range.

This processor includes 8 CPU cores and 7/8 GPU cores. Autonomy, visiting web pages, writing, taking notes and so on, is between 18 and 20 p.m.

M1 Pro

One year after the launch of the M1 range From Apple, the Cupertino-based company introduced the M1 Pro processor.

This processor is available in versions with 8 and 10 CPU cores and in versions of 14 and 16 GPU cores. According to Apple, the autonomy of this equipment reaches 20 hours.

Max M1

The most powerful processor in March 2022 in Apple's notebook range is the M1 Max. This processor includes 10 CPU cores and up to 32 GPU cores (depending on the model). The autonomy of the equipment with the M1 Max processor is around 20 hours.

To consider

One point that we must take into account when choosing a Mac model or another is that are not compatible with Windows.

As of March 2022, Microsoft has yet to release an ARM version of Windows to install on Apple's ARM processors, despite being on the market for nearly two years.

The reason Microsoft has not yet released a version of Windows for these computers is due to a exclusivity agreement reached with Qualcomm in the past.

According to various sources, this agreement will expire in 2022, so it's likely that by the time you're viewing this article, you already have the ability to install Windows on MacBooks with ARM processors.

If the career you are going to study requires a specific application that is only available for Windows, you should find an alternative that is compatible with macOS before buying a MacBook.

Best Apple Laptops for College

As I mentioned above, buying a Mac that is not portable, it does not make any sense, unless we use an iPad to take notes and a Mac to study. If this is your case, the 24-inch iMac It is an excellent option.

MacBook Air

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is the entry model to the MacBook range. This model is only available in a 13-inch version.

The keyboard is backlit, it is available with a maximum of 16 GB of RAM and 2 TB of SSD storage. It includes two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports and a headphone jack port.

Inside it is the M1 processor with 8 CPU cores and 7 GPU cores.

The cheapest model, with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of SSD storage, has a price of EUR 1.129. On Amazon we can find it for under the 1.000 euros.

The version with 512 GB has a price in the Apple Store of $1.399 and on amazon does not usually exceed 1.200 euros.

It is important to choose the model that best suits our needs since, once we have bought it, we can't expand it later in any way since both the RAM and the storage are soldered.

The autonomy of this model is 18 hours, which is 6 hours more than the previous generation managed by Intel x86 architecture processors.

MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro range is available in 3 screen sizes:

  • 13 inches
  • 14 inches
  • 16 inches

13-inch MacBook Pro with M1

The M1 processor found in the MacBook Pro, it's the same one found on the MacBook Air. The 1-inch MacBook Pro M13, however, has 8 CPU cores and 8 GPU cores (vs. the 7 GPU cores in the MacBook Air M1).

Like the MacBook Air, this computer is available with a maximum of 16 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of SSD storage. Includes backlit keyboard, Touch ID, Touch Bar, 2 Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports and headphone jack.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with the cheapest Apple M1 processor (8GB RAM and 256GB SSD), It has a price of 1.449 euros.

14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro

The 14-inch MacBook Pro includes a display with technology XDR Pro Motion 120 Hz, includes 3 Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, a MagSafe port for device charging (it doesn't charge through the USB-C port like the 13-inch MacBook Pro), and a touch ID to protect access to the device.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro processor is available at 2 versions:

  • 8 CPU cores and 14 GPU cores
  • 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores

base memory part of the 16 GB of RAM and can be expanded up to a maximum of 32 GB. The base storage starts at 512 GB and we can expand it up to 2 TB.

The MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro processor part of the 2.249 euros.

16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro

The 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro processor is available with 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores. It includes the same features as the 14-inch model.

The base model, with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, part of the 2.749 euros.

16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max

The 16-inch MacBook Pro includes the same features and ports as the 14-inch model. This is the only model with the M1 Max processor, a processor that is available in 2 versions:

  • 10 CPU cores, 24 GPU cores, and 16 core Neural Engine.
  • 10 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores and 16 core Neural Engine.

This only version is available from 3.619 euros. part of the 32 GB of RAM (supports a maximum of 64 GB), and 512 GB SSD (expandable up to 8 TB SSD).


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