How to choose a desktop Mac

Apple now has four different desktop Mac models to choose from. Steve Jobs’ famous matrix for product categories has now seen the lines between consumer and pro models blurred. 

Some key considerations 

Before getting into the specifications of each Apple desktop computer, there are some factor that must be considered. 

1. Upgrades are almost impossible in most cases

The days of being able to buy an entry level Mac and then adding memory or getting the storage upgraded are almost completely behind us. Apple’s manufacturing processes mean storage and memory are now integrated tightly into the mainboard of your Mac. 

2. Space

The amount of desktop space you have may be a factor in your choice of Mac. If you’re looking at a Mac mini or Mac Studio, you’ll either need some space for the computer or look for some sort of under-desk mounting system.

For potential iMac buys, remember that the base will take some space and then you’ll need a desk that’s deep enough so you’ve got adequate space between your eyes and the screen.

3. Budget

Given your opportunities for upgrades are quite limited, unless you’re looking at a Mac Pro, buy a Mac wth the most storage and memory within your budget. Saving a 15% of the purchase price today could result in having to buy a whole new Mac earlier than expected if you discover you need more memory or storage. 

4. Last update and recent update history

Apple seems to be updating some of its computers at a faster cadence than others.  These are worth noting when deciding on whether to make a purchase today or whether waiting a few weeks might be a better option. 

iMac

• Last update: October 2024
• Previous update: October 2023

Display size	24-inch	24-inch	24-inch	24-inch
Processor	M4 – 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores and 8-core GPU	M4 – 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores and 10-core GPU	M4 – 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores and 10-core GPU	M4 – 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores and 10-core GPU
Memory	16GB unified memory configurable to 24GB unified memory	16GB unified memory configurable to 24GB or 32GB unified memory	16GB unified memory configurable to: 24GB or 32GB  unified memory	24GB unified memory configurable to: 32GB unified memory
Storage	256GB SSD Configurable to 512GB or 1TB	256GB SSD Configurable to 512GB, 1TB or 2TB	512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB	512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB
Price (from)	$1999	$2399	$2699	$2999

The iMac is a brilliant computer that will suit the needs of the vast majority of people. It has a great display and the all-in-one design is attractive and will meet the performance needs of most people. 

It’s a great option for office workers, students or those that want a descent sized, although perhaps undersized by today’s standards, display without the hassle of lots of cables. Paired with Apple’s Magic Keyboard and either a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad (all of which can be colour matched in one of the seven available colours the iMac comes in) the only cable you need is power.

While the display can be tilted to different viewing angles, it can’t be height adjusted unless you order a models with a built-in VESA Mount Adapter. Then you’ll need to stump up for a monitor stand of your own.

The 24-inch display is excellent but if you need more screen real estate, you can connect up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, or one external display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz using the Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. There’s also a 3.5-mm headphone jack with advanced support for high‑impedance headphones. 

It’s also worth noting that the iMac does not come with an Ethernet port – that’s a $40 option if you need Gigabit Ethernet. 

In short, the iMac is a great all-round machine that will suit the needs of anyone looking for an elegant set up and plenty of computing grunt for most school and office tasks. 

Mac mini

• Last update: October 2024
• Previous update: January 2023

Processor	M4 with 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores and 10-core GPU	M4 with 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores and 10-core GPU	M4 with 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores and 10-core GPU	M4 Pro with 12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores and 16-core GPU
Memory	16GB unified memory, configurable to 24GB or 32GB unified memory	16GB unified memory, configurable to 24GB or 32GB unified memory	24GB unified memory configurable to 32GB unified memory	24GB unified memory configurable to: 48GB or 64GB unified memory
Storage	256GB SSD Configurable to 512GB, 1TB or 2TB	512GB SSD configurable to 1TB or 2TB	512GB SSD configurable to 1TB or 2TB	512GB SSD configurable to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB
Ports	Front: 2 x USB-C Back: Power, Ethernet, HDMI, 3 x Thunderbolt 4	Front: 2 x USB-C Back: Power, Ethernet, HDMI, 3 x Thunderbolt 4	Front: 2 x USB-C Back: Power, Ethernet, HDMI, 3 x Thunderbolt 4	Front: 2 x USB-C Back: Power, Ethernet, HDMI, 3 x Thunderbolt 5
Price (from)	$999	$1299	$1599	$2199

Apple’s Mac mini has quickly garnered a reputation as a powerful machine that takes up little space and gives owners the bThe M4 Pro models est of both worlds – a powerful desktop computer that can support massive external displays with plenty of ports for connecting peripherals. 

The three M4-based models support for multiple external display configurations. It supports either three displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt for two and another display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI. Or, it can handle one display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI. 

The M4 Pro model can support three displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI. Alternately, it can also handle one display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI. It’s important to note that the M4 Pro model has Thunderbolt 5 ports on the Mac whole the other three models have the older Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 5 its about three times faster. 

It’s little wonder many power users see the Mac mini as a powerful system for many different applications including coding, graphic design and AI modelling. 

The Mac mini’s greatest benefit is its flexibility. As long as you buy a model with sufficient memory and storage, you can be assured several years of productivity from this tiny workhorse. 

Mac Pro

• Last update: June 2023 (for M-series model)
• Previous update: June 2019 (last Intel model)

Processor	Apple M2 Ultra chip with 24-core CPU with 16 performance cores and eight efficiency cores,  60-core GPU and 32-core Neural Engine
Memory	64GB unified memory, configurable to 128GB or 256GB unified memory
Storage	1TB SSD Configurable to 2TB, 4TB, 8TB
Connections	Eight Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports with six ports on the back of the enclosure and two ports on the top of the tower enclosure or two ports on the front of the rack enclosure
Expansion	Six full-length PCI Express Gen 4 slots Two x16 slots and Four x8 slots One half-length x4 PCI Express Gen 3 slot with Apple I/O card installed
Price (from)	Tower: $11999 Rack: $12999

The Mac Pro is not the computer for everyone.  It is the only Mac that Apple has designed to be expandable with internal slots that can be equipped with cards to add more external ports, booster graphics adapters, RAID cards for more reliable storage and other tools that most people won’t need.

There’s a very specific niche group of people that need a Mac Pro. But it’s also been a couple of years since Apple last updated this model. While it’s still a powerful device, we suggest waiting for Apple to upgrade it to the current generation M4 or perhaps the M5 should it arrive sooner than expected. 

Mac Studio

• Last update: June 2023
• Previous update: March 2022

Processor	Apple M2 Max chip with 12-core CPU with eight performance cores and four efficiency cores, 30-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine	Apple M2 Ultra chip with 24-core CPU with 16 performance cores and eight efficiency cores, 60-core GPU, 32-core Neural Engine
Memory	32GB unified memory, configurable to 64GB (M2 Max) or 96GB (M2 Max with 38‑core GPU)	64GB unified memory, configurable to 128GB or 192GB unified memory
Storage	512GB SSD configurable to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB 2TB	1TB SSD configurable to 2TB, 4TB or 8TB 2TB
Ports	Front: 2 x USB-C Back: Power, Ethernet, HDMI, 4 x Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB-A, 3.5mm headphone	Front: 2 x USB-C Back: Power, Ethernet, HDMI, 4 x Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB-A, 3.5mm headphone
Price (from)	$3299	$6599

In almost every way, the Mac Studio is the big brother to the Mac mini. It’s physically much larger, although has about the same footprint as the previous Mac min, boasts more CPU and GPU cores, and support for more memory. But the Mac Studio is still running Apple’s M2-series processors. It’s hard to predict exactly when Apple is going to give the M2 a boost to a more recent processor but we think later this year is a reasonable guess.

That said, it’s hard to see too many uses where the M2 Max or M2 Ultra chips won’t deliver robust and reliable performance – even as we’ve moved well and truly into the era of AI development. 

Like the Mac Pro, we see the Mac Studio as a power user’s machine. But it’s almost a two year-old power user’s machine and the Mac mini has overtaken it in some regards. Where it beats the Mac mini hands down is in terms of ports. With more ports on the back, a couple on the front, and an SD card slot (super handy for videographers and photographers) it makes adding and removing storage a snap. 

Our advice is to wait for an upgraded version of the Mac Sutdio if you can.