Best Mac desktop for students 2022

Best
Mac desktop for students
iMore
2022

Best overall: 24-inch iMac (2021)

The colorful 24-inch iMac (2021) has been almost completely redesigned from the 21.5-inch model it replaces, and it was given a ton of new color options. Of course, it’s all powered by Apple’s M1 chip, which has been praised for delivering a fantastic performance.

There are two main models of the iMac (2021). The base model has a 7-Core GPU and only two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, while the high-end model has an 8-Core GPU, two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, two USB-C ports, an Ethernet port in the power brick, and comes with a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. Both models have SSD storage starting at 256GB, but you can pay for up to 1TB on the base model and up to 2TB on the high-end model. Plus, both models start with 8GB of RAM, but you can purchase 16GB of RAM for either machine. The base model starts at $1,299, while the high-end model starts at $1,499.

The iMac is available to purchase from Apple and other retailers like Best Buy. Ordering direct from Apple is usually the way to go for Apple products, but there remains a bit of a shipping delay for certain colors.

The entry-level Mac mini comes with a 3.6GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i3 processor with 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory. In addition, you’ll find an Intel UHD Graphics 630 card and 256GB PCIe-based SSD storage inside.

If you’re looking at a Mac mini, you are already aware that you need to add a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. We recommend upgrading the memory from the minimum. Ideally, you should start with the more expensive version, if only because you’ll get more storage.

The 27-inch iMac 5K offers fantastic features across the board. The entry-level model comes with a Retina 5K 5120-by-2880 P3 display with True Tone and optional nano-texture glass, 3.1GHz 6-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor (with Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz), 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory, 256GB SSD storage, and Radeon Pro 5300 with 4GB of GDDR6 memory. Like our overall pick, if you can only upgrade one component, consider increasing the memory size.

The biggest negative: this model is almost certainly going to be replaced in 2022 with one featuring Apple silicon.

No doubt, the Mac Pro is the best professional-graded computer Apple has ever created. Made in the United States, the Mac Pro has been designed for maximum performance, expansion, and configurability. It features Xeon processors, an Earth-shattering high-performance memory system, eight PCIe expansion slots, and graphics architecture supporting what Apple calls the world’s most powerful graphics card. There’s also the all-new Apple Afterburner accelerator card that lets you play back as many as three streams of 8K ProRes RAW video simultaneously.

The downsides of the Mac Pro are the price, availability, and uncertain future. The Mac Pro starts at nearly $6,000 and goes up from there depending on your configurations. And, unfortunately, many of those configurations have long lead times. Finally, with other Macs moving towards Apple silicon, it’s obvious the Intel-based Mac Pro’s days are numbered.

Bottom line

Our favorite desktop Mac for students is the 24-inch iMac (2021), which includes lots of great features for high schoolers and college students alike. It’s brand new and is the latest Mac to feature the Apple silicon on the inside. The most important question you might be asking yourself is which color to buy. The new iMac is available in seven color combinations: blue, green, pink, yellow, orange, purple, and traditional silver.

If you can, max out both memory and storage and enjoy the right!

Credits — The team that worked on this guide