iMac v MacBook v MacBook Pro

[toonarmani]

Looking at some deals and wondering which to go for.

Likely either 27” iMac or a 512gb i5 MacBook or MacBook Pro (non Touch Bar)

Looking to replace Pc but will need a dual boot as some apps I use are Pc only.

Any suggestions? Also is it easy to setup boot camp with Win10 either internal or on external SSD?

Thanks

To add, for MacBook or MacBook Pro I would also use an external monitor as needed

[sky13]

I have a 2018 13" touch bar MBP, previously was on a PC. I thought I'd set up dual boot, but turns out that I just use my old laptop for anything I need a PC for.

In terms of tech, the 12" Macbook was last updated in 2017. I believe the non-touch bar MBP was also last updated in 2017 (might be wrong on this). So at this point in their life cycles there is always a risk that newer models may be coming out. I'm not familiar with the iMac to be honest.

I think one more thing to consider is whether the 12" Macbook would have the computing power to dual boot and to have an external monitor?

One more thing to maybe consider would be the Mac Mini?

Sometimes I kind of wished I had gotten a Mac Mini + a 12" Macbook for bringing around (I love the tiny size of the 12" Macbook but I'm not willing to buy one at this point in its life cycle)...

[tspill]

I moved from Windows to a MacBookPro in 2012. Still have that and use it every day.
I used Windows in work.
I am about to replace my MBP and went through the "should I go back to windows?" dilemma.
I have decided that the MBP is still too far ahead of a Windows laptop that I will be going for a new 15" MBP later in the summer the I get back from Florida. Windows 10 is a big step forward but still a long way behind in my view.
I have a few things that only run on Windows and I use parallels - doesn't require dual boot and integrates seamlessly with the Mac. Once set up you wont even know it is running Windows at all.
It is very difficult to get a balanced view between Mac and Windows.
I was definitely open to going to Windows - but isn't going to happen this time around.

[Leggibone]

I’d say depends what you need it for and where you wish to use it,
The 12inch MacBooks are great bits of kit, but it’s mian function is portability - not the best bang for the buck if your using it at a desk all the time.
Where as the 27inch iMac in all its glory it a beauty, really nice and powerful, but not at all portable. The MacBook pro sits in the middle, still portable but still powerful.
I would get a 27inch mac if your gonna be using it at a desk constantly - it’s just a neater solution and kinda glorious!

[Deano]

I have all of those you mention all great machines the 12" stands out for me so portable, amazing battery but has enough power to do most tasks. Unless your doing high CPU intensive activities all day such as 4k video editing its the perfect machine. I only used this on a 32" 4k Screen with no problems.

I have the 15" MBP with Touch Bar that I'm using now, Touch Bar is a waste of time and I never use it so you would be right not to bother with that.

27" I Mac doesn't get much use these days.

Boot Camp is a breeze to use also.

[sky13]

Originally Posted by Deano

I have the 15" MBP with Touch Bar that I'm using now, Touch Bar is a waste of time and I never use it so you would be right not to bother with that.

See more...

I didn't use the touchbar much on my MBP for ages, then I got Better Touch Tool and customised my touchbar. There are a few scenarios where I've found it useful:
- I added screenshot as a shortcut (since I screenshot quite a bit).
- For my note taking app it automatically has buttons for bold, italic, and underline, which is very useful for me. (Well cmd + B/I/U also works, but it's nice to just be able to hit one button sometimes!)
- Choosing colours for highlighting in Preview is surprisingly nice using the touchbar.
- Oh and emojis! Rather like using the touchbar to scroll through them.

Most of the time the touchbar does feel a little bit of a gimmick but I've been pleasantly surprised by the above in the last few months!

[wanye]

take a look at the new mac mini. i got mine as soon as they came out last year and love it (it has replaced my trusty 2011 mac mini server which was switched on permanently and in use daily up until it got replaced (its now my girlfriends desktop machine as it is still a great bit of kit and more than powerful enough for most people)

the 2018 mac mini should in theory last me a similar amount of time. i have it plugged into a 27" 2k and a 28" 4k monitor, although if i didnt already have the 2k monitor, i would probably be fine with just the 4k one) - i bought the 8gb ram/i7/250gb ssd model, and have recently bought a pair of 16gb SODIMMS which i will be installing this week to take it up to 32gb ram. price is down to around £125 if you are comfortable fitting them yourself (look on ifixit)

i've not used the current ones with bootcamp, but my older ones (2011 mini server, 2008 15" MBP) worked perfectly with it, although i preferred running parallels desktop so i could run both mac and windows apps together...

hth

i also have a 2014 macbook pro, which is great too, although i'm not keen on the newer models, and i hope they go back to being slightly user-upgradeable soon...

[stevo25]

I also run parallels on my MBP, much better than Bootcamp IMHO for convenience. I also have a 27" iMac thats great , i really do like the extra real estate of the screen

[tspill]

Originally Posted by stevo25

I also run parallels on my MBP, much better than Bootcamp IMHO for convenience. I also have a 27" iMac thats great , i really do like the extra real estate of the screen

See more...

Totally agree on using Parallels.

[itsmeGAV]

Originally Posted by tspill

I moved from Windows to a MacBookPro in 2012. Still have that and use it every day.
I used Windows in work.
I am about to replace my MBP and went through the "should I go back to windows?" dilemma.
I have decided that the MBP is still too far ahead of a Windows laptop that I will be going for a new 15" MBP later in the summer the I get back from Florida. Windows 10 is a big step forward but still a long way behind in my view.
I have a few things that only run on Windows and I use parallels - doesn't require dual boot and integrates seamlessly with the Mac. Once set up you wont even know it is running Windows at all.
It is very difficult to get a balanced view between Mac and Windows.
I was definitely open to going to Windows - but isn't going to happen this time around.

See more...

It depends on the Windows laptop you get IMO, not all are inferior. In fact most are actually better than a MB & MBP when it comes to processing power etc, but really you're paying for the engineering which went into the MB & MBP which I've always said hands down is still out of this world.

Plus, Windows 10 is miles ahead of OS X.. OS X just looks nicer.

OP, get yourself onto MacRumors and take a look at the 'Buyers Guide' this will give you a clear idea on the current age cycle of each product