4 reasons to get a desktop Mac over a MacBook

Laptops seem to be the dominant form of computer these days, particularly in the Mac world. I get it, generally speaking — there’s inherent value in being able to work or play from anywhere with a power outlet and Wi-Fi. I bought a laptop in 2022 precisely because I knew that when moving back to Canada later that year, a desktop would leave me unable to work for weeks until I had somewhere to unpack. When I did touch down, I spent a surprising amount of time working from a Starbucks inside a grocery store.

That said, you shouldn’t automatically buy a MacBook if you’re considering a Mac. While portability is useful, there can easily be other concerns that trump that, and desktop Macs are more flexible in that respect than you might initially think.

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1 More horsepower for the money

Serious specs for serious professionals

Apple

As with Windows laptops, you’re paying extra for portability when you buy a MacBook. It stands to reason, since laptops need to be engineered to the nth degree for size, weight, and cooling, and simply don’t make any sense without a built-in display, keyboard, and trackpad. If you’ve already got separate peripherals, you can get a lot more juice out of a desktop Mac, which may be absolutely essential if you’re responsible for work like video editing, 3D modeling, or scientific simulations.

Consider that you can buy an M4 Mac mini for just $599. Yes, you’ll need your own accessories, but the cheapest M4 MacBook is the $999 entry-level 13-inch Air, and you’ll probably still want some of the same add-ons, such as a mouse and an external SSD.

For another example, note that spending $1,999 on a Mac Studio gets you an M4 Max system, that chip sporting a 14-core CPU and a 32-core GPU. To get the same level of performance from a MacBook, the cheapest option is a $3,199 configuration of the 14-inch MacBook Pro. For such a huge price difference, you could buy an excellent monitor and still have cash to spare.

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Who needs a PlayStation?

Larian Studios

Okay, realistically, a Mac can’t completely replace a PlayStation, or an Xbox for that matter. Sony and Microsoft have much better game libraries, including a number of exclusives. But if you hook a Mac mini up to a TV, you’ve still got many modern titles you can play, with the added benefit of being able to load emulators for nostalgic console releases. It’s quite a trick to go from Baldur’s Gate 3 one moment to Super Mario World the next, followed by the original arcade version of Mortal Kombat.

A TV-connected mini is even better for movies, music, and TV shows, because there aren’t any hard limits on what you can watch or listen to. Want to amass an offline media library? It’s dead simple, because there’s no need for file conversion or hammering out issues with your home networking. Meanwhile, if a streaming service has a web player, you can access its contents, regardless of how Apple feels about having a particular company in the App Store. You can even get around regional content restrictions using a VPN.

All this does require a little technical know-how, naturally, not to mention wireless controllers if you want to sit on your couch. But it can easily be worth learning.

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3 A simpler all-in-one machine for newcomers

We’re not all digital natives

I’m on record as saying the iMac doesn’t make much sense these days (see below), but one obvious exception is someone who needs a computer with a large display, yet doesn’t want to futz around with an external monitor or the many, often intimidating number of spec options for Windows PCs. That could be an elderly parent, an office manager, a storekeeper, or a child getting their first real computer.

Buy a 24-inch iMac and boom, problem solved. Apple includes everything you need in the box, and the latest model is equipped with an M4 chip, which is more than fast enough for anything that isn’t demanding pro work. At less than 10 pounds, it’s light enough that even a small child could carry it. You may actually need to weigh the thing down.

It’s once you get past basic needs that you should be looking at something like a MacBook or a Mac mini. Few newbies are going to complain about owning an iMac, though, and the iMac does have a following in professional spheres.

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4 Decluttering your workspace

More ports mean a cleaner setup

Apple

Something people tend to ignore until they’re dealing with the reality of it is that building a laptop-based workstation can be a messy affair. Even a 16-inch MacBook Pro has just three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, and the MacBook Air has a whopping two. If you want to hook up Ethernet, an external drive, and a secondary display, you’re probably already looking at buying an external hub, and the situation may only get worse if you want to connect things like speakers, a wired printer, or your iPhone. Many people choose to add a laptop stand into the mix, since staring down a screen tends to get uncomfortable after a while.

Desktop Macs may not be a cure-all, but even the base Mac mini includes five USB ports, an HDMI output, and jacks for 3.5mm audio and Ethernet. You probably won’t need a hub, and you can shove the computer over to the corner of your desk if you like, since it doesn’t take up much space. With clever positioning (and possibly some zipties), you can tuck many cables out of sight. That’ll make your desktop both aesthetically appealing and more practical for things that aren’t Mac-related — like handwritten notes, or the lunches you’re always cramming down during long assignments.

For the full effect, you do have to use as many wireless peripherals as possible. But that’s relatively trivial these days, whether you buy from Apple or a third-party vendor.

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