Choosing Between a MacBook and a Desktop Mac: What You Need to Know

Are you torn between a portable Mac or a desktop machine? We’ll explore the pros and cons of each to help you make an informed decision.

How Integral is the Mac in Your Life?

First and foremost, your Mac should closely align with your needs. MacBook or desktop Mac? While the question might seem simple, answering it is crucial. The decision becomes straightforward if mobility is a key factor for you, or if you are constrained by space. This is a well-known issue especially for students living in major French cities.

Indeed, a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro isn’t just a laptop, it’s also significantly more compact than a desktop Mac setup complete with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, which inevitably requires a dedicated desk. Apple does offer an all-in-one desktop solution with the iMac M4. Despite its relatively compact size, the iMac still occupies more space than a laptop and needs a dedicated area, whereas a MacBook can be used on your lap (though ergonomically unsound) or on a small table once cleared.

Similarly, if you are embracing remote work (full-time or part-time), opting for a laptop makes it much easier to move from one place to another by simply slipping a laptop into your bag.

Generally speaking, and for many years, laptops have outsold their desktop counterparts. For instance, in 2021, 275 million laptops were sold compared to only 66 million desktop units. Nonetheless, some people do transport iMacs, Mac minis, or Mac Studios between locations. An interesting anecdote: during the era of Intel Macs, Marques Brownlee from the YouTube channel MKBHD often flew with his iMac Pro in the cargo hold to ensure he had the same processing power both in the office and while traveling.

MacBook Advantages

Versatility vs. Peripherals

To state the obvious, one significant advantage of a laptop over a desktop Mac is its standalone functionality. Indeed, desktop machines (excluding the iMac) like the Mac mini and Mac Studio come with just a power cable. You won’t find a keyboard, nor a mouse/trackpad in the box, let alone speakers (though these models do include an integrated speaker) or a monitor, so you will need to purchase these basic peripherals separately. In contrast, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are ready to use just minutes after unboxing.

On the other hand, if you already own a monitor (note for newcomers that Macs are compatible with most market monitors), high-quality speakers, or a preferred keyboard/mouse set, this point still applies to both categories. You can enjoy these peripherals with your MacBook Air/MacBook Pro at your main workspace, and use the machine in portable mode elsewhere.

This also demonstrates the greater versatility of portable machines, as the reverse is not possible with a desktop Mac. Desktop Macs, however, have the advantage of offering more numerous and varied ports, such as an Ethernet port (and even 10 GbE on the Mac Studio, or as an option on the Mac mini). These can be used on Mac laptops, but would require an adapter or a dock.

Advantage MacBook:

Advantage Desktop Mac:

Power: Portable and Desktop Macs on Par

Unlike the PC market where desktops often have greater power than their portable counterparts (for example, a mobile RTX 3060 is significantly less powerful than its desktop version), the advent of Apple Silicon chips has evened out the differences between Mac laptops and desktops. In fact, MacBook Air/Pros equipped with an M1/M2/M3 or M4 chip are as powerful as the latest generation of Mac Mini M4 and iMac that house the same chip.

However, it’s worth noting that the Mac Studio and Mac Pro are the only ones to feature the Ultra variants of the Apple Silicon chips and have no equivalents in laptops (they are aimed at a more niche market).

Upgradability: A Tie Between Portable and Desktop Macs?

Another peculiarity of desktop Macs compared to their PC counterparts is that the Mac mini and Mac Studio are no more upgradeable than the MacBook Pro/Air, and the configuration will stay the same as at the time of purchase throughout its lifecycle. Indeed, it’s impossible to add RAM (the unified memory of the M1/M2/M3/M4 chips does not allow this), internal storage (except for tinkering on the Mac Studio and Mac mini and the parts are not readily available in the market), or to swap out the graphics card for a more powerful model, as external GPUs are not supported, whether on laptops or desktop versions. It’s a draw.

Since the Mac Pro has switched to Apple Silicon, it has become much less upgradeable than before since you can no longer modify the RAM as you wish (only the SSD storage), the PCIe ports are limited, there is no PCIe 5.0 nor native M.2 ports, and you can no longer change the graphics card nor connect an external GPU. In terms of upgradability, the Silicon Mac Pro is a real regression compared to the old Intel models which were really modular.

A Desktop Mac and an iPad Rather Than a MacBook?

Some users prefer a desktop Mac paired with an iPad for mobility over purchasing a MacBook. This option makes sense, as a desktop Mac, whether it’s a Mac mini or Mac Studio, is often less expensive for equivalent power, provided you have the necessary peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse), and the cost difference can then go towards a tablet. However, even though Apple tries to position its iPads as your next computer, there are still significant differences between iPadOS and macOS. This choice should be made with full knowledge of the facts.

Naturally, if the budget allows, it is also feasible to invest in both a desktop Mac and a Mac laptop. In this scenario, macOS allows you to sync Desktop and Document folders via iCloud so that you have continuous access to your data, regardless of the machine you are using. Moreover, Sidecar and Universal Control enable the use of the iPad as a secondary screen, or to control the tablet from the Mac.

RAM and Storage

Regardless of the Mac model you choose, it’s essential to carefully consider your RAM and storage needs because it will not be possible to upgrade them later, as mentioned in the article, while Apple charges a premium for every option, making it crucial to estimate your requirements accurately.

Where to Buy

To purchase your next Apple product, we recommend following these links or buying from a specialized store like inmac wstore. Good to know: Apple products are often on sale on Amazon.