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Now many partners plan to start with mac, but how to choose the mac they need is a difficult problem. Next, macdown, I will bring you a guide to the purchase of Macs, so that everyone can choose the one that suits them!

First of all, we need to think about two questions, which determine whether you can buy a Mac that really suits you.

Question 1: What's your budget?

This is very critical. We can discuss this problem later only after we have made it clear. When you make a budget, you need to be clear about one thing:

Mac is a very expensive computer, but it also has a high cost performance.

This statement seems contradictory, but we can simply calculate that the cheapest Mac in official website is the MacBook? AI r, the price is 8899. What concept? At this price, you can buy high-end versions of most brands of computers on the market, but you can only buy a netbook that can only type and watch dramas here at Apple (of course, this may be the best-looking netbook).

So, is the Mac expensive? Of course it's expensive.

Where does such a high cost performance come from?

My last laptop was MacBook Pro 20 12. I-I used this computer for five years, but the reason why I finally replaced it was not because of Caton, but because I had to go to 4K to do video editing, which was really difficult for the computer five years ago. In other words, the life of any Mac must be more than three years, and it can still run smoothly for more than three years, and it will take 4-5 years to feel that the computer configuration is not enough.

For many users who have just used netbooks, it is no problem to use them easily for 4-5 years, but for any Windows notebook, not to mention more than 3 years, less than 2 years will definitely become a state of waiting for one minute to boot (most users).

For users who lack computer knowledge, it won't be long before the computer becomes a bucket of all kinds of rogue software, so it is no exaggeration to say that the service life of Mac is-times that of Win.

Therefore, as long as it is the right person, the Mac is indeed cost-effective, and even products like iMac 5K are extremely cost-effective.

Well, having said that, now you can think about how much you can spend on a Mac.

This figure must be your highest budget.

Question 2: What are your needs?

This is a more difficult question to answer than the price. Many people are not sure about their needs, but you must have a priority, such as whether you pay more attention to face value and weight, or performance and screen size.

Suppose our computer is used for retouching photography, then screen size and performance are the priority factors, and portability needs to be compromised. What needs to be remembered is that without a perfect computer, it is impossible to achieve perfect portability and performance at the same time. Moreover, the better the parameters on the paper, the more suitable it is for you. In fact, for most people, the performance of Mac is surplus.

After the above preparations, I can finally enter the world of Mac.

Which Mac is right for you?

At present, Mac computers have crossed all user groups, from ordinary to professional. Because this article needs to consider more audiences, it will not involve IMac Pro, Mac Pro, Pro XDR Display and other very professional Macs. And I also believe that these users should know more about Macs than I do, so I will divide the Macs currently on sale in official website into six categories.

The first is MacBook AIr.

Of all the notebooks currently on sale, the MacBook AIr is the weakest one, but it is also the one with the lowest price. The price in official website starts from 8899.

This is a standard netbook with the following advantages:

1. Strong endurance. Because it doesn't need strong performance, the energy consumption is well controlled, which is also the best battery life in the notebooks currently on sale. Basically, one charge can be used for one day, which can be said to get rid of the trouble of charging cable, and you don't need to find a charging socket wherever you go.

2. High face value. Face value is a very important indicator for many users, especially female users. MacBook AIr's classic wedge design, especially rose gold, can be well matched with clothes and bags, and its value is outstanding.

3. Lightweight body. The lightness here is not the lightness of the fuselage, but the overall weight after carrying the charger.

Its disadvantages are:

1. Performance is not strong enough. But as I said at the beginning, performance varies from person to person. In other words, performance is relative. If you just watch plays, write documents and handle one or more tasks, that's more than enough. Even ordinary photo processing is no problem. The 40-megapixel Raw format can be moved, but editing a 4K movie is definitely not possible.

2. The screen color quality is relatively low. In the current Mac models, MacBook AIr only covers 100% of sRGB, while others are already standard P3 wide color gamut, so if your occupation requires color, you need to be cautious. However, if you are not a professional user, the fineness and actual playback effect of this screen are still very good.

2. Two USB-C interfaces. Because the current Mac series notebooks have adopted USB-C interface, it may be necessary to connect some peripherals, but because MacBook AIr has only two interfaces, there may be insufficient interfaces. Of course, if your work hardly needs any peripherals, then you don't need to worry about this problem.

In the specific configuration selection, it is recommended that the hard disk must be more than 256GB, and never choose 128GB because of the price. 128GB will greatly shorten the service life of the Mac. There have been more and more cases around to prove that the reason why Mac was finally replaced was basically due to insufficient hard disk storage.

Overall, the MacBook AIr is suitable for users who have no demand for performance, but have a demand for face value and battery life. Relatively reasonable configuration:

1.6GHz dual-core 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor

8GB 2 133MHz LPDDR3

256GB SSD (the above is the best)

Second, MacBook Pro 13 inch (2 thunderbolt 3 interfaces)

This is the newly launched 13 inch MacBook Pro this year. In the eyes of many people, this is actually a castrated version of the original MacBook Pro 13 inch (4 thunder and lightning 3 interfaces). Indeed, compared with the MacBook Pro 13-inch (4 Thunderbolt 3 connectors) version to be introduced below, this version reduces the main frequency, and at the same time cuts off two Thunderbolt 3 connectors, and the sound quality of the microphone is also reduced.

However, this makes his price only 9999 yuan, which is 2400 yuan lower than that of the MacBookPro 13 inch version (the same hard disk capacity). Another important message is:

Although their main frequencies are 1.4Ghz and 2.4GHz respectively, their performances are basically the same. Judging from the running results, it is only a weak gap, so the task that MacBookPro 13 inch (4 thunderbolt 3 interfaces) can cope with, MacBook Pro 13 inch (2 thunderbolt 3 interfaces) can also be competent.

So basic. In fact, the difference of 2,400 yuan makes the MacBook Pro 13 inch (2 thunderbolt 3 interfaces) worth buying.

So the advantages are summarized as follows:

1. Very cost-effective. If you want to use the Mac to process photos, videos and documents, and the budget is tight, then this is the best choice.

2. Give consideration to both size and performance. 13 inch notebook has always been a common size category in the market, with moderate weight, moderate screen and easy to carry.

Disadvantages:

1. The sound quality is inferior in all MacBook Pro.

2. Two Lightning 3 interfaces are missing. This is what I think is the biggest problem with the MacBookPro 13 inch (two thunderbolt 3 interfaces). Because since you bought the Pro model, you definitely have requirements for content production, so you definitely need a lot of external devices, so if there are only two interfaces, you need to consider using a docking station to solve this problem.

The purchase suggestion is, remember not to buy the 128GB version, but to buy the 256GB version. Otherwise, it will be full just after starting to install some large-scale software, such as Photoshop or Final Cut Pro X.

I know that because the prices are very similar, many people who buy MacBook AIr may say, then why don't I add a little money to buy this model? This idea makes sense. MacBook Pro 13 inch screen and performance will be much better, as well as Touch Bar. But again, you have to figure out what you value. If there is no requirement for performance, only the pursuit of portability, battery life and face value, MacBook AIr still has advantages.

Relatively reasonable configuration:

1.4GHz Quad-Core 8th Generation Intel Core i5 Processor

8GB 2 133MHz LPDDR3 memory

5 12GB SSD

Iii. MacBook Pro 13 inch (4 thunderbolt 3 interfaces)

The advantages have actually been said before, so if you are sure to buy a 13 inch Mac, then you must choose between two interfaces and four interfaces, so the advantages and disadvantages of this computer are obvious. The advantages are:

The four interfaces of 1. can basically meet all kinds of peripheral interfaces, especially suitable for users who want to connect monitors with 13 inch Mac. If you buy a version with two interfaces, it means that there will be no interface connection between the monitor and the power supply, so you'd better choose this version.

2. The sound quality is better.

The disadvantage is that it is more expensive than the two interface versions, starting from 13899 yuan.

The most recommended configuration is:

2.4GHz quad-core processor

8GB 2 133MHz LPDDR3 memory

5 12GB SSD

Fourth, Macbook Pro 15 inch

If you are a visual or music-related professional user, it goes without saying that 15 inch MacBook Pro should be used by everyone around you. Almost all my friends who are engaged in photography or music are basically MacBook Pro 15 inch.

Advantages:

1. A larger screen size means higher efficiency. Especially for visual users, the retouching experience of 15 inch and 13 inch is completely different.

2. More powerful performance. At present, MacBookPro 15 inch has the lowest six-core i7 and the highest eight nuclear, which is the representative of Mac performance. If you want a Mac with the best performance, then this is it. More importantly, 15 inch Mac comes standard with a discrete graphics card, which is essentially different from 13 inch MAC in some graphics rendering work.

3. A larger touchpad.

Disadvantages are:

1. Compared with 13 inch, it is not portable enough.

2. The starting price 18 199 yuan is generally unacceptable to users. But for professional users, I believe that because it is a productivity tool, the price is basically not a problem.

I am a heavy user of 15 inch Mac. Basically, both heavy photo retouching and 4K editing of movies can be done smoothly and effectively. At present, this is also a category that many creative users choose the most.

In the choice of configuration _, MacBook Pro 15 inch starts at 256GB, but it is definitely not enough for productivity machines, at least at 5 12GB. I am a 2T hard drive myself. Even so, I may be a little stretched when editing two or three videos at the same time. Of course, it may also be because the video is big. Moreover, it should be noted that many people may want to plug in the hard disk to solve the problem, but for the machine used for work, it will still be inconvenient to plug it in.

So since you have spent so much money, don't make yourself uncomfortable because of one or two thousand dollars. In terms of configuration, although I upgraded the processor to i9 myself, it is not recommended. The processing speed will be faster, but it is not obvious, so my suggestion is to upgrade the hard disk first, then the memory, and then the graphics card.

Relatively reasonable configuration:

2.3GHz eight nuclear 9th Generation Intel Core i9 Processor

16GB 2400MHz DDR4 memory

Radium Pro 560X graphics processor with 4GB GDDR5 memory

5 12GB SSD

Verb (abbreviation of verb) iMac 5K

If you want to say which Mac has the highest cost performance, it must be the iMac 5K that "buys a screen and sends a monitor". You should often see this kind of machine at the front desk of various companies. After all, the back is beautiful. Of course, more common should be various design companies, photography companies and so on. IMac 5K itself is a display device, with a "27-inch" big screen as its selling point. It has a:

The resolution is up to 5K, covering the professional screen with P3 wide color gamut.

Monitors of similar quality on the market cost. Ten thousand yuan, but the starting price of this iMac 5K is only 13832 yuan, and it also comes with an inexpensive keyboard and mouse set from Apple. In a sense, computers are equivalent to "free delivery", so this is also the reason why many commercial organizations use this kind of machine.

Advantages:

1. There is a shocking 27-inch 5K monitor. As long as your work is related to vision, then this monitor can meet your requirements, whether it is film editing or post-photography, it is a sharp weapon, and it is definitely a completely different experience from ordinary notebooks.

2. Sex can be used. Because it is a desktop, it has advantages in heat dissipation and so on, and it is a desktop processor, so it will generally perform better than notebooks with the same price.

Disadvantages:

1. Desktop, with almost no mobility, can only be used when it is connected to the power supply, so it is suitable for working in a fixed place. 2. Thick border. Compared with the current mainstream screen design, the design of iMac is relatively old, and the thick border has always been criticized.

If you want to buy an iMac, try not to choose iMac 4K in order to save money, but you must buy iMac 5K. Because the screen of iMac4K is only 2 1.5 inches, the effect is greatly reduced and the border is more "rough". Of course, there is another important principle:

Don't buy a so-called fusion hard disk, it's better to buy a solid-state hard disk.

In fact, the computer card is not stuck, which is often affected by the speed of the hard disk. The so-called fusion hard disk is the combination of a small number of solid-state hard disks and mechanical hard disks, which will greatly affect the running speed of the machine, especially in the later stage. Remember, don't choose a converged hard disk just because it has a larger capacity-it must be a solid-state hard disk, 256GB is ok, and 5 12GB is the best.

Moreover, for memory, iMac is not the main upgrade object, because iMac 5K supports self-replacement of memory chips, so you can spend more money on the hard disk, buy your own memory chips and add them yourself. Moreover, the replacement method is very simple, and girls can learn it simply by watching the tutorial.

I have an iMac 5K at home, which has been used for many years. As long as it is used for post-retouching and heavy film editing, it is basically a pure productivity tool. So I still suggest that if the budget is insufficient, users really don't need to move so much, consider iMac 5K first, and don't consider Mac notebook series.

Sixth, Mac mini

Macmini is probably the least well-known product of all Apple computers. It is a product line that has been sleeping for many years and suddenly revived last year 10. To put it simply, the Mac mini is a small computer mainframe, without any display equipment, and you need to connect the display yourself, so the price of the Mac mini is relatively low, and the starting price is only 63,365,438+0.

But it's still difficult to equip yourself with a monitor, so for most people, I still suggest buying iMac 5K directly. Mac mini is more suitable for programmers as a development tool, and-generally speaking, these people bring their own monitors.

Well, that's a simple comb of my current Mac product line. Buying a Mac is like choosing a good partner. Be sure to think about the budget and demand, and don't buy the wrong product.

By the way, finally I want to say something special:

Don't buy a low-priced Mac just because the budget is not enough. The price of a Mac computer is not directly proportional to its performance. If you are a user who needs performance, please give up decisively if the budget is insufficient. After all, you can't spend money without solving the problem.