What Kind Of Macbook Should I Get For College

Apple Macbook Air I5 13 For College

Award:BEST PORTABLE DESIGN

WHY WE LIKE IT: Extremely portable and compact design, weighing just over 2lb, with high-end features such as 8GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD storage, and a dual-core Intel Core i5 processor.

• No Retina display
• Screen on smaller side at 13

This Apple Macbook Air is built for portability and ease-of-transport, as it features a slim and thin form factor and a low weight, clocking in at just over two pounds. The specs here are decent, thanks to a powerful Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of dedicated RAM, and 128GB of solid-state storage. We also appreciated the fantastic lithium battery, which can go for more than ten hours without needing a recharge.

Though the display is FHD and gorgeous, it is not technically a Retina display, which may be off-putting for some consumers. Also, this display is on the smaller side, coming in at just 13-inches wide.

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Pros

• Modern design with thin bezels and larger display
• Superior 1080p webcam
• Two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support
• Well-implemented kickstand
• Perky performance in tested Core i7 configuration

Cons

• Higher starting price diminishes entry-level appeal
• Accessories and configuration upgrades are pricey
• Keyboard base still sold separately
• USB-C ports only

Apple Technology At Moravian

A MacBook Pro and iPad for every student

At Moravian University, we believe in providing an accessible and engaging education for alland that begins with our technology. As an incoming undergraduate student, youll receive an Apple MacBook Pro® computer and an iPad® device after you accept your offer of admission. This technology is yours to keep throughout your education at Moravian and beyond.

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Macbook Air Is A Good Laptop

In most cases, the MBA would be enough for most people. Even for web developers. If you are just starting studying web design or software development, it will take a while until you outgrow MBA resources.

When you become a professional, you most likely be able to afford a more powerful machine.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro 13

There was always a clear-cut choice between Air and Pro, but with the introduction of the Apple M1, the MacBook Pro 13 lost its appeal. Currently, both the MacBook Air 13 and MacBook Pro 13have absolutely the same CPU.

The difference is that MacBook Pro has a fan and Air does not.

This means that they both launch apps at the same speed.

The Pro has an advantage when you need sustained CPU work, e.g. when working with graphics or playing games.

When you are playing games for a long time then MacBook Air tries to slow down the CPU to avoid overheating and Pro kicks in the fan and continues running at full speed.

However, the new processor is so much more powerful than any other laptop CPU on the market, so you have to try very hard to make Pro turn the fan or MBA to slow down the CPU.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro 14

While M1 MBA and MBP were comparable in most regards, it would not be fair to compare MacBook Air and new MacBook Pro 14. The latter beats the former in all categories: speed, size, RAM, storage, video, audio, charging, expansion.

However, there is a catch. The new MacBook Pro 14 is twice more expensive as MacBook Air.

Choosing The Best Mac For Coding

Perhaps the most important factor in coding is RAM. Xcode alone is very RAM-heavy, and when you combine it with other apps, youll soon find you need a lot of memory to keep everything running smoothly. You might even have to manually stop processes to free up RAM.

Currently, the minimum amount of RAM you need for a comfortable coding experience is 8GB. Ideally, you should be looking at 16GB and more to create a safety net for future updates. Note, however, that the newer M1 Macs top out at 16GB, but because they handle RAM in a different way to Intel Macs, thats actually plenty.

A large screen is helpful too. Its likely youll be using at least three windows simultaneously. A big display is what you need to fit all of them on the same screen and eliminate the need to constantly switch. Of course, you can always plug in external displays, so even a smaller MacBook might be good enough.

If you like to use lots of separate monitors, you should know the M1 Macs only support up to two displays at once. So thats one external display for iMacs and MacBooks, and two for Mac minis. There are ways around this, but its not natively supported.

You need a reasonably good processor, but any of the currently available Macs will be good enough. But you also dont need a Mac Pro with its 28-core beast, because that would definitely be overkill.

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Should I Buy The 14in Macbook Pro With More Cores And 1tb Ssd

If you thought that the leap from the 13in MacBook Pro to the 14in MacBook Pro was large, the price gap between the two 14in MacBook Pro models is even bigger. The 10-Core CPU/16-Core GPU 14in MacBook Pro with 1TB SSD costs £500/$500 more at £2,399/$2,499.

That’s a lot to spend to get a 10-core CPU/16-core GPU M1 Pro instead of 8-core/14-core M1 Pro, but those extra cores make a big difference.

There’s also a 1TB SSD instead of a 512GB SSD, and a 96W power adapter rather than a 67W adapter. If you don’t need that 1TB SSD there are more cost effective ways to get the extra cores if you look at the build-to-order options.

Here are the best deals on the 14in MacBook Pro

Best Mac For Video Editing

Video editing consumes lots of processing power, RAM, and storage . It also needs a big screen, because video editing apps are probably the most complex ones, with hundreds of buttons, tools, and sliders. 16 GB of RAM is a minimum. Quad-core Intel i7 processor is a minimum. Fast, external storage drive is necessary. 4K footage takes gigabytes easily, so you could fill up your entire internal drive with a single project only.

You actually dont have much choice but to pick MacBook Pro 15 or consider buying iMac 27 or iMac Pro. MacBook Pro 15 with Intel i7 3.1 gHz processor, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB SSD storage and a Final Cut Pro X software costs $3298. iMac 27 with Intel i7 3.8 gHz processor, 32 GB of RAM, 2 TB fusion drive and a Final Cut Pro X software will cost you $3198. Its worth a try, but you will – of course -lose any portability.

Recap:If youre serious about video editing, dump the MacBook and buy an iMac 27 instead. Youll get a lot of power and huge screen. MacBook – in this case – will always be a compromise.

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Which Best College Laptop For Students Is Right For You

Need something powerful that can handle the demands from Photoshop and/or CAD? Then the Microsoft Surface Book and Dell XPS 13 are laptops that are right up your alley.

Alternatively, if youre looking for something more humble for doing your everyday tasks at college and maybe a little media consumption when you have some time off, then the ASUS X551MA or HP Stream 13 are both laptops to consider.

Choose a laptop based on what it does, not how it is marketed. For instance, some business laptops are great for school situations, but not all are.

And, then there are Chromebooks, web-based best college laptops. Some are hesitant to jump on the Chromebook bandwagon, and might not consider them the best laptops for college students, simply because you cant use Windows-based software on it. You might be surprised, but more often than not, we just dont use the programs on Windows, strictly using web browsers like Chrome and Firefox for all of our computer use.

Some popular laptops that you might want to consider are Lenovos Legion y530, the Legion y530 is solid, Chromebook x2, Zenbook Pro, Acer Nitro, Asus Vivobook, Acer Aspire, Macbook Air, Asus Zenbook, the Huawei Matebook, Envy 13t, the Macbook Pro 15inch, Lenovo ThinkPad, HP Chromebook x2, HP Envy 17, Lenovo Yoga, and the X1 Carbon just to name a few. These are some of the best laptops you can buy. Also some of the most powerful laptops.

Should I Buy Macbook Air Or Macbook Pro

Next we’ll look at two Apple laptops with a very similar price: the £1,249/$1,249 MacBook Air vs £1,299/$1,299 MacBook Pro. By comparing these two models, which have just £/$50 between them, we can demonstrate the differences between the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. That should give you a good indication of which kind of Mac laptop is best for you.

The £1,249/$1,249 MacBook Air offers Apple’s M1 Chip with 8Core CPU and 8Core GPU, 8GB RAM and 512GB storage. The £1,299 13in M1 MacBook Pro , offers Apple’s M1 Chip with 8Core CPU and 8Core GPU, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.

There are a number of other key differences. One is immediately apparent from the above: this Air offers 512GB SSD compared to 256GB in the Pro. But the Pro offers plenty in return including a brighter screen a couple of hours more battery life in a day and the Touch Bar. We don’t think the Touch Bar is a deal breaker, especially since the best bit is available on the Air anyway. There is also the option of a gold finish for the Air, something the Pro lacks.

Perhaps the most significant, but least apparent difference, is the inclusion of a fan in the MacBook Pro, while the MacBook Air has no fan, instead relying on an aluminium heat spreader to draw heat away. The lack of a fan may well mean that the MacBook Air struggles when performing more strenuous tasks. It’s probably the key difference between these Mac laptops and the reason why the Pro is better suited to more demanding applications.

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How We Test The Best Macbook

Testing the best MacBooks and Macs is more intensive than you might think, especially because most of these devices are meant to be used by creative professionals with more taxing workloads. Aside from putting its build, display, keyboard, trackpad, and webcam through their paces, we also perform creative benchmark tests like Handbrake as well as run demanding workflows like editing an 8K video in Final Cut Pro and doing real-time 3D modeling and animation to see how every device would fare in real-world situations. We also test its battery life and take a look at its heat management performance when running such intensive tasks.

• Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptops 2022
• Stay safe online with our pick of the best Mac VPNs

What Is Apples M1 Chips

First, what is all the fuss about Apples M1 MacBooks?

Apples recently launched in-house ARM-based SoC chip, also known as the Apple Silicon M1 chips , is proven to perform much better with less power consumption than previous Intel-based Mac devices.

Apple optimized the M1 chips for the macOS, allowing every software application to run as smoothly as it should in a macOS environment.

This is a considerable advantage, especially for laptop users, because this means an extended battery life without much sacrifice on computing performance.

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How To Find The Best Mac For Education

The process of choosing the best MacBook for college depends on the kind of student you are, the type of assignments you get, and what youve generally come to expect from your computers. Apple is known for making their products to last, so even if you decide to buy a cheap Mac laptop for university, it should still be in good shape long after your graduation.

Since your studies will include both theory and practice, its crucial for your laptop to be able to support all the apps necessary during your time in college. If youre not anticipating to be working on any complex projects over the course of your studies, then a cheap Mac laptop will be a reasonable purchase for you.

To ease the process of finding the best Mac education pricing and quickly resolve the age-old question of whether to get MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro for college, take a look at the following aspects.

Best Budget Gaming Laptop For College

Pros

• High-refresh display with support for AMD FreeSync
• Potent Ryzen 4000 series processor
• 16GB of RAM in under-$1000 test configuration
• Good battery life and speakers
• Wi-Fi 6 support

• Single-color keyboard, versus RGB keyboard of the Alpha 15
• CPU runs hot under load
• Can’t quite match gaming frame rates of GeForce GTX 1660 Ti notebooks

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Buying A Used Mac Laptop: How To Avoid Scams And Find The Best Deals

Save money with a refurbished Mac laptop. Here’s a guide on how to buy used machines, including considerations and important cautions.

I got an interesting letter from a reader who wanted to save some money buying two Mac laptops for his college-age twins:

I am currently shopping for MacBooks… My twins are in the Junior year of college and it’s time to replace their Asus Chromebooks and MacBooks from like 2003… So…which model? Which ‘year’ of construction? What is the ideal trade off for refurbished Mac performance at ‘gotta buy two’ pricing?

Samsung Chromebook 3 $280

Best for Google-loving students

It may not be a powerhouse, but the Samsung Chromebook is an excellent companion for lectures, thanks to a near instant startup time and the full range of Google apps.

It runs the Google Chrome operating system all notes and essays are automatically saved to the cloud, so there’s no panic about lost files if the laptop gets left on the school bus.

Chromebooks like this one can open and edit Microsoft Word or Excel documents, though they use Google’s suite of web apps to do so. They’re virtually indistinguishable in practice, and the Google tools have better options for sharing and collaborating on work.

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Apple Macbook Air 2018 $1099

Best for design-minded students

The Apple MacBook Air might be Apples cheapest laptop, but youre still looking at over $1,000 worth of tech, so its by no means a budget choice.

It should, however, last for years ideally seeing a student through from high school to college.

Packing an Intel Core i5 processor, the Air will happily cope with hardcore homework, and the 12 hour battery means that it can keep going from the breakfast to recess through to evening without needing a charge.

After a period of neglect, Apple is back to promoting the Air again, and the 2019 MacBook Air is one of the best MacBooks you can buy. If you’re keen on a Mac and fancy making a saving, you can still pick up the older MacBook Air model for under $1,000. It’s a perfectly good computer that’s still super-stylish.

The Best Macbooks You Can Buy Today

Reasons to avoid

The MacBook Air was always the best MacBook for most people, but now it’s better for even more people than ever before. Apple’s decision to replace its Intel processors with its own Apple Silicon, starting with the M1 chip in the MacBook Air, is reaping serious rewards. This laptop’s 14 hours and 41 minutes of battery life n the Tom’s Guide battery test is the best for a MacBook Air ever. Plus, the M1 delivers crazy-fast performance, so much so that it can run serious games smoothly.

The MacBook Air’s webcam has also been upgraded, as the M1 chip provides signal processing tricks to improve clarity and color accuracy. And, of course, the Magic Keyboard is still here, which provides a comfy typing experience. Dolby Atmos audio support means that some movies and TV shows will sound even better than before. The MacBook Air is now not just the best MacBook for your average Apple user, but it’s closer to the title of the king of the laptops than it’s been in years.

Reasons to avoid

The new 14-inch MacBook Pro is the Mac to get if you have 1) the budget and 2) the need for more ports. That’s simply because its new Liquid Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate is gorgeous. Your favorite movies, and everything else, will simply look better. Oh, and the new M1 Pro chips deliver even more speed than ever before, while still enabling all-day battery life.

Reasons to avoid

Reasons to avoid

Read our full MacBook Pro with M1 review.

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How Much Storage Should I Get

Recommended: 512 GB, Minimum: 256 GB, Overkill: 1 TB

As for storage, 1 TB would be way more than enough while 128 GB would not be sufficient. Mac users should also install Windows on their Macs through Oracle or VMware because some software works better on Windows . With 512 GB, after splitting the storage by using two systems, there would be storage left for the system. It is also recommended that users buy an external hard drive, a USB flash drive, or use cloud storage to save backup copies of important files because you will need them if the computer crashes. Most files are archived so you can store them on an external hard drive, which is a lot cheaper than the built-in storage. The key to choosing storage is to find the optimal that is able to store all the files you need with you and then buy an external hard drive to store everything else.