Given the richness of the range of Apple laptops (see our buying guide on the subject), we can reasonably ask ourselves if it is still in our interest to opt for a desktop Mac. It would be ignoring their specificities, especially since with the arrival of the brand new Mac Studio, you can now choose a desktop Mac equipped with a processor inaccessible to laptops: the M1 Ultra. As its name suggests, this high-end chip (understanding very fast and very expensive) is derived from Apple’s first “house” processor, the M1, which equips the vast majority of the range. The transition announced by Apple in the summer of 2020 is about to be completed and, soon, there will be no more Macs in the catalog that are equipped with an Intel processor. There are already more on the side of MacBook laptops. While in the family of desktop Macs you can still ask for a Mac mini equipped with an aging Intel Core i5 and a Mac Pro with an Intel Xeon processor, the replacement of which has already been announced. That said, we will not regret the disappearance of Intel processors in Macs: Apple has indeed achieved a masterstroke with its M1 and all its M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra versions. Not only do we gain a lot in power, but also in terms of energy consumption. Which, for a desktop Mac, translates to consistently quiet operation. No more fan noise! All you have to do is choose the model.
First advantage of a fixed Mac, comfort. Whether you choose a model with or without an integrated screen, you will necessarily have a larger workspace. The only iMac that has remained in the catalog is equipped with a 23.5-inch diagonal screen (nearly 60 cm), even if Apple presents it, oddly, as a 24-inch model. You can also easily find 24-inch 4K screens for less than 350 euros that you can happily connect to your Mac mini or Mac Studio. Even the 16-inch MacBook Pro can’t compete. Not to mention that the latter costs much more. Apple also presented a new 27-inch screen, the Studio Display, but it’s really hard to convince. However, it offers a good definition of 5K, integrates rather good speakers and a webcam compatible with the Centered Frame function. But its price of 1750 euros minimum does not really make you want.
The second advantage of office models is openness to the outside world. Desktop Macs are equipped with a variety of ports that laptops often lack, despite the progress made by the latest MacBook Pros: USB-A and USB-C ports, Ethernet network port, HDMI port, SD card reader. The Mac Studios have brought about an unexpected revolution in this area since they even offer ports on the front! Both models thus offer an SD card reader on the front panel, supplemented by two USB-C ports for the M1 Max model and two Thunderbolt 4 ports for the M1 Ultra. And on the back of the Mac Studio, there are 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI socket, a 10 Gbit/s Ethernet socket and even a high-impedance mini-jack format headphone socket.
The switch to M1 chips and derivatives on the entire range of Apple machines, on the other hand, has taken away from desktop models one of the advantages they had over laptops, namely the capacity for expansion after purchase. Portable or not, all Mac M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra require you to choose at the time of purchase, the number of computing cores, the number of graphics cores (for 3D calculations for example), the storage capacity and amount of RAM. Normal, since even the latter is almost part of the processor itself: all the chips designed by Apple are based on the principle of unified RAM which implies that the RAM is directly connected to the computing cores by the same transistors. This is one of the ingredients of the recipe making these processors monsters of power without consuming an astronomical amount of electricity.
Only the few models that still have an Intel chip allow the amount of RAM to be increased after purchase. It’s possible with a little effort on the Mac mini Intel and even very simple on a Mac Pro Xeon whose case is entirely designed to be open and offer expansion ports for memory and even additional cards, to change the graphics card for example. That said, you won’t find a Mac Pro in our selection. It is really reserved for professional users with specific needs and a more than comfortable budget. And, remember, not only are the hours of the Mac Pro counted, but the new Mac Studio is more powerful than the most powerful Mac Pro in most tasks, and for much less!
As we can see, Apple should keep its commitment to replace Intel processors across its entire range by the end of 2022. In other words, unless you have a specific need that only you can know, we can no longer advise today purchasing a desktop Mac with an Intel processor. Which, let’s face it, simplifies the process a bit. For example, if you prefer an all-in-one model with an integrated screen, only the 24-inch iMac remains in the catalog. All you have to do then is choose the storage volume and the amount of RAM because the iMac does not offer a choice of processor: all models are equipped with the “basic” M1. Rest assured, the M1 is (very!) more than enough for everyday tasks and even more. On an iMac, you can easily edit your photos and do video editing. And these thoughts also apply to the Mac mini M1 which offers exactly the same level of power, but on a tighter budget, if you already have a screen, keyboard and mouse.
Do you need more power? Then the Mac Studio is for you, provided you have the budget of course. The first model actually starts at 2300 euros, but it is rather well equipped: M1 Max processor, 32 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. The most demanding, and wealthy, will turn to the model equipped with an M1 Ultra processor, which literally results from the merger between two M1 Max processors. With the result of truly doubling the performance in most cases. But you will also have to pay at least double, since the Mac Studio M1 Ultra starts at 4600 euros (with 64 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD). It is a template reserved for audio, photo and video creation professionals. In both cases, the Mac Studio is surprisingly compact since it uses the same square base of the Mac mini, with sides of about twenty cm, while being only 2.5 times thicker (9.5 cm high , against 3.6 for the mini).
The most attentive will have noticed that there is no desktop Mac equipped with an M1 Pro processor which, in the range of MacBook laptops, fits between the M1 and the M1 Max in terms of both price and performance. performance. It is likely that this hole will be filled with the release of the second generation of its processors, i.e. the M2 and its derivatives M2 Pro, M2 Max and M2 Ultra. We should then see a Mac Mini M2 Pro appear in the catalog, a more muscular version of the Mac mini M2 which will replace the current Mac mini M1. But this is another story.
Let’s finish by recalling that one of the advantages of Intel-based Macs was to be able to run Windows optimally, like on a PC. On a Mac M1 or derivative, it is impossible to start in Boot Camp mode, the function offered by Apple allowing you to install Windows alongside the macOS system and to choose one or the other when starting your Mac. And it is currently impossible to run an Intel version of Windows on a Mac M1 and derivative.
That’s it, you now have the cards in hand to choose the desktop Mac that’s right for you.