The increased popularity of the Apple Mac has increased significantly in recent years. Many people and moved away from the nuances of Windows laptops to Macbooks due to the ease of use (and not restarting their machines every time they run into an issue). However, how much should YOU spend on a MacBook?
As a general rule, Macbooks you should purchase should be between $800 – $2,000. This price range determines that the specs are good enough for use for the average person. If the Macbook is needed for extra storage use or higher specs with CPU/GPU then the price can be slightly more expensive.
However, these are all rough estimation when it comes to macbooks, it all depends in how you’ll use the device and what for. This blog post will discuss in detail a few scenarios so you’re able to make an informed decision.
How Much Should I Spend On A Macbook
Spending a large sum of money on a laptop can be somewhat daunting and scary. You’re most likely wondering why are some laptops as low as $300 and some as high as $3-4,000. These are usually because of the name of the brand as well as the specs of the laptop.
When it comes to Macbooks they are always in the upper hundreds mark for several of reasons. Firstly, Apple’s reputation and brand allows them to sell at a premium for high quality products such as iPhone 12 and Macbook M1 chip. I have discussed in detail why Macbooks are expensive, whether Macbooks Airs are expensive, and whether Macbook Pro are worth it in general.
Type of Macbook Needed – Specs
It is relatively important to understand the type of Macbook that is needed so that we can roughly estimate exactly how much you’ll need to invest a new laptop and what you’ll be using it for.
Below are some considerations that you’ll need to make before making a purchase on a Macbook.
CPU
CPU stands for central processing unit which is also known to be the brains of the computer. It is the primary component of a computer and contains the main memory, control unit, and arithmetic-logic unit. Even if you get a least expensive CPU for your MacBook this can do the job without you even noticing. Unless you’re running a lot of applications or doing some heavy editing work.
There are few CPU’s that exist, here are the most common ones and there usage:
Intel Core i5: This one is fine if you are just using the laptop for the purpose of basic usage browsing the internet, studying on the Microsoft 365 apps and services as well as email usage.
Intel Core i7 – Daily tasks that include editing photos and videos and using more media related services.
Intel Core i9: Used mostly by creatives that use heavy editing software such as Davinci Resolve or Final cut pro which avoids the application crashing.
Apple M1 Chip: ARM-based system that was designed by Apple. This is the same usage as the i9 and is designed for heavy workload on a Macbook. However, M1 is better than Intel via multicore, however, on a single core performance, Intel still is the lead.
For most people, the i5 and i7 should suffice to do their basic daily tasks as well as do other things they need to on their laptop.
RAM
Ram also known as the random-access memory is equally important as the central processing unit which is responsible for short-term memory, it temporarily stores and remembers everything that is stored on your device such as web browser, applications and games you’re playing.
Ram makes your computer superfast which is good for things that your device is actively working on such applications like Microsoft Word and the data that those applications work on such as the Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.
SSD
SSD are known to as Solid State Drive which is a new generation of storage that are actively used in computers. They currently use flash-based memory which is faster than the traditional HDDs.
When your looking for a new laptop it would be good to consider to choose and SSD if you’re looking for fast and responsible laptop. When it comes to the overall performance, the storage drive is one of the most important components and equally as important as the aforementions components such as the CPU, RAM and GPU.
GPU
GPU also known as the Graphics Processing Unit is a specialized processor that is designed to accelates the creation and rendering of images and videos.
But why is this important for a Macbook: it is needless to say that every laptop requires a GPU, if you don’t have a GPU it will be near to impossible to display images on desktop and laptop computers.
There above four computers CPU, RAM, Storage and GPU are equally as important as each other and you should tread carefully when making a decision to purchase these.
How much does a decent Mac cost?
There always discounts that Apple provides especially with newer laptops. The Apple M1 Pro chip have been selling like hot cakes (including buying one myself) and I must say the speed as well as the battery life is just amazing on it.
Below are a few models as well as price markers for your considerations. Just to know these are 8GB Ram and i
MacBook Pro 13.3″ Laptop – Apple M1 chip – 8GB Memory – 512GB SSD (Latest Model) – Space Gray
| Model/CPU/Storage | Price | Link To Vendor |
| MacBook Pro 13.3″ Laptop – Apple M1 chip – 8GB Memory – 512GB SSD (Latest Model) – Space Gray | $1,299.99 | BestBuy |
| MacBook Air 13.3″ Laptop – Apple M1 chip – 8GB Memory – 256GB SSD (Latest Model) – Space Gray | $999.99 | BestBuy |
| MacBook Pro 13.3″ Laptop – Apple M1 chip – 8GB Memory – 256GB SSD (Latest Model) – Silver | $1,149.99 | BestBuy |
| Apple 15in MacBook Pro, Retina, Touch Bar, 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 Quad Core, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Space Gray, | $699.99 | BestBuy |
| MacBook Pro 16″ Laptop – Apple M1 Pro chip – 16GB Memory – 1TB SSD (Latest Model) – Space Gray | $2,499.00 | Amazon |
Wrapping Up
As previously mentioned it is important know the reason as to why you want to purchase the Macbook and the reason as to why your using it. This will give you a rough estimate in how much you’ll be spending because you’ll then filter the four main components of a computer which is the CPU, RAM, Storage and GPU. The higher these specs are the more money you’ll end up paying.
So as a rule of thumb, if your using it just for basic usage so working ond documents, emails, surfing the web then it will be relatively cheap and easy for you to choose 4-8GB and i5 core processer.
If your a creative and would need to use editing software that would require a considerable amount of CPU, RAM and Storage then it expect to pay slightly more.
