Some basic Mac questions

[8-P]

Hi All

I’m not totally new to Macs, had one with work some years back.

Planning on getting into Garage Band and eventually Logic Pro.

Looking to buy a Pro or Air but not sure which. Budget about £500(second hand obvs) any suggestions on which please?

This maybe? https://www.backmarket.co.uk/en-gb/p/macbook-pro-r...


I have 2 Samsung monitors with a USB C dongle thing I currently use with my work laptop so hoping it will also work on a Mac?

Thanks

[james6546]

Get one with one of the Apple Silicon chips, M1, M2 etc.

They are night and day better than the intel ones. My current M1 air wipes the floor with my old i7 MacBook Pro.

To be honest they are all great for what you need, I’d just try to go for 16GB ram or more

[DoctorX]

Not all the ‘M’’s will run two monitors (M3 on maybe?)

[james6546]

DoctorX said:

Not all the ‘M’’s will run two monitors (M3 on maybe?)

My M2 Max work one does 3, but my M1 air only does one and itself, I just checked, so good point

[e-honda]

DoctorX said:

Not all the ‘M’’s will run two monitors (M3 on maybe?)

They will run 2 monitors if you use a display link compatible dock and install the display link drivers, although this comes with it's own issues.

[silentbrown]

What about a mac mini, if you've already got monitors?

[bitchstewie]

Does it need to be a laptop?

I'd go with a new base Mac Mini over an already well out of date MacBook.

[8-P]

No doesn’t have to be a laptop but thought it could be handy.

[bitchstewie]

Well a brand spanking new entry level M4 Mini is £599 and should run rings around that second hand laptop and be much more future proof IMO.

[mjcneat]

bhstewie said:

Well a brand spanking new entry level M4 Mini is £599 and should run rings around that second hand laptop and be much more future proof IMO.

This. I got one not long after release and it is astonishingly good value for money.

[camel_landy]

Mac Mini

M

[8-P]

Sounds like a good option.

[mph999]

The Mac mini is the way to go, the new M4 starts at £600 - the best value for money device Apple offers.

[wyson]

I ran a core i7 MacBook Pro as linked by the OP. It was st.

It ran really hot, in summer the fans would ramp up just looking at some websites. Anything more challenging, it sounded like a jet engine.

Keyboard is st.

Touch bar ranks up there amongst the most annoying tech I've ever used.

It was all USB C.

I just kept wondering what Apple were thinking crippling a 'Pro' machine like that.

[james6546]

wyson said:

I ran a core i7 MacBook Pro as linked by the OP. It was st.

It ran really hot, in summer the fans would ramp up just looking at some websites. Anything more challenging, it sounded like a jet engine.

Keyboard is st.

Touch bar ranks up there amongst the most annoying tech I've ever used.

It was all USB C.

I just kept wondering what Apple were thinking crippling a 'Pro' machine like that.

I agree with everything apart from I quite liked the Touch Bar!

Mine used to get so hot in summer it used to crash.

It also melted the glue in the screen which then went a yellowy colour.

[DoctorX]

I have a 2019 i5 Pro. I agree with those comments. It even struggles to play YouTube these days - max fans and stuttering. An M replacement is on the cards.

[LeeM135i]

I have 2x M1 Macbook Pro's. The first I bought at launch and is the base 8gb ram and 256gb storage the second I bought this year for work and is a US spec 16gb ram 512gb I bought pre owned from Ebay a few months ago. Both are perfect for Teams / office and I can't tell the difference between them in terms of their performance. Apple M chipped computers run fast and quiet, can't remember hearing the fan on either of them.

The M1 & M2 13" MacBooks will only drive one external monitor so I bought an ultra wide, they will also use run an iPad as an external screen if you're desperate for an additional screen.

The M3 MacBook Pro and Air can drive 2 monitors but you have to have to shut the lid as it can only drive 2 screen in total.

If you get the M1/M2/M3/M4 Pro or Max chipped 14" or 16" MacBook Pros you can have more than 1 external monitor and use the internal display.

The new M4 Mac mini in its base spec is an excellent deal, gets a bit much when you start upgrading it. Be aware you don't get a keyboard, mouse or track pad with them so you will need to budget to get them or have one laying around you can use.

[8-P]

Assuming a mini from a few years ago would do the job and save a few hundred quid?

[8-P]

Example

https://www.backmarket.co.uk/en-gb/p/mac-mini-janu...

[wyson]

8-P said:

Example

https://www.backmarket.co.uk/en-gb/p/mac-mini-janu...

Ram is a bit low. As it's fixed and not upgradable, better make it 16gb. A 512GB SSD would be useful as that is dual channel but the 256 SSD will be fast enough. Also, the storage is easy enough to upgrade with external SSD's.

Anything with an M processor is good enough. The example you posted has an M2 chip so more than sufficient.

Edited by wyson on Tuesday 7th January 18:38