The Student Room Group

Which Mac to get for University?

I'm currently going into my second year of university and looking to purchase a new laptop/computer. I currently have an ASUS laptop which is a few years old (in which I have installed an SSD and upgraded the RAM) but is buggy as hell to use and gets hot due to pressure on the poor CPU within the system. My current laptop isn't portable at all and is heavy which weighs down my bag when at uni so it really isn't practical.

I've decided i'm going to purchase a Mac through the education scheme or from John Lewis as my girlfriend works there and I can get discount. I'm debating between an air or macbook pro, I''m edging towards the 13" inch Air due to portability. I don't need a DVD drive and it's simply lighter. I will be using it for word processing (office software), spotify and web browsing.

I was considering the pro retina version however it puts me off due to the fact it's non upgrade-able. I was also considering an iMac but I personally think a laptop would be suitable. My girlfriend has a mid 2012 pro and that feels like a brick and im not overly impressed in comparison to my current laptop.What to do?

Thanks in advance!

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Reply 1
The new pros are much closer in size and weight to the airs, they are really narrowing the gap. In fact, the new pros don't have a DVD drive either. If you need the extra power and will be doing things that justify it, then the new pro is most definitely worth it.
macbook air, its light weight, portable, fast. macbook pro is fore more advanced tasks e.g. editing, HD gaming, programming. i have a macbook air 13 inch I'm I'm very happy with it.
Reply 3
The Macbook Air is also non-upgradeable.

I'd recommend going for the MBPr 13" with a 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM. This configuration would be relatively future-proof. You can buy refurbished ones directly from Apple for marginally less. With the student discount it would probably come out at around £1100.

Just for the record, I have a MBP 13" which I used all throughout universityand still currently use. I have upgraded the RAM to 8GB and have added a 256GB SSD (Samsung 840 EVO if you're wondering). It's showing no signs of needing replacement despite being three years old now. It wasn't too heavy to take to lectures every day, but a 15" might be.
Original post by CallumPalace
I'm currently going into my second year of university and looking to purchase a new laptop/computer. I currently have an ASUS laptop which is a few years old (in which I have installed an SSD and upgraded the RAM) but is buggy as hell to use and gets hot due to pressure on the poor CPU within the system. My current laptop isn't portable at all and is heavy which weighs down my bag when at uni so it really isn't practical.

I've decided i'm going to purchase a Mac through the education scheme or from John Lewis as my girlfriend works there and I can get discount. I'm debating between an air or macbook pro, I''m edging towards the 13" inch Air due to portability. I don't need a DVD drive and it's simply lighter. I will be using it for word processing (office software), spotify and web browsing.

I was considering the pro retina version however it puts me off due to the fact it's non upgrade-able. I was also considering an iMac but I personally think a laptop would be suitable. My girlfriend has a mid 2012 pro and that feels like a brick and im not overly impressed in comparison to my current laptop.What to do?

Thanks in advance!

I use a Macbook pro and it does everything I need it to. It also runs quote a lot of games too, so I can use it for fun as well as the occasional bit of work of course :P
Reply 5
Original post by CallumPalace
I'm currently going into my second year of university and looking to purchase a new laptop/computer. I currently have an ASUS laptop which is a few years old (in which I have installed an SSD and upgraded the RAM) but is buggy as hell to use and gets hot due to pressure on the poor CPU within the system. My current laptop isn't portable at all and is heavy which weighs down my bag when at uni so it really isn't practical.

I've decided i'm going to purchase a Mac through the education scheme or from John Lewis as my girlfriend works there and I can get discount. I'm debating between an air or macbook pro, I''m edging towards the 13" inch Air due to portability. I don't need a DVD drive and it's simply lighter. I will be using it for word processing (office software), spotify and web browsing.

I was considering the pro retina version however it puts me off due to the fact it's non upgrade-able. I was also considering an iMac but I personally think a laptop would be suitable. My girlfriend has a mid 2012 pro and that feels like a brick and im not overly impressed in comparison to my current laptop.What to do?

Thanks in advance!


Macbook Pro easily.

The 8GB Model.

Don't forget you'll get an Educational Discount and a £60.00 Apple Store voucher.
Original post by CallumPalace
I'm currently going into my second year of university and looking to purchase a new laptop/computer. I currently have an ASUS laptop which is a few years old (in which I have installed an SSD and upgraded the RAM) but is buggy as hell to use and gets hot due to pressure on the poor CPU within the system. My current laptop isn't portable at all and is heavy which weighs down my bag when at uni so it really isn't practical.

I've decided i'm going to purchase a Mac through the education scheme or from John Lewis as my girlfriend works there and I can get discount. I'm debating between an air or macbook pro, I''m edging towards the 13" inch Air due to portability. I don't need a DVD drive and it's simply lighter. I will be using it for word processing (office software), spotify and web browsing.

I was considering the pro retina version however it puts me off due to the fact it's non upgrade-able. I was also considering an iMac but I personally think a laptop would be suitable. My girlfriend has a mid 2012 pro and that feels like a brick and im not overly impressed in comparison to my current laptop.What to do?

Thanks in advance!


I was in that dilemma. 13" MBA vs 13" MBP.

Quite liked the design of the MBA which still seems nice after 4 years. I was quite lucky as I had the option to borrow both for a week to try out side by side before deciding.

In terms of size, the MBA will definitely feel more compact but not by much. In terms of weight, though it is less than 15% heavier somehow when carried in a backpack it does feel significantly lighter to the MBP due it the MBA being better balanced and the weight being very well distributed.

Battery life is definitely better on the MBA, both I used had i5 processor, 512GB SSD and 8GB RAM. The MBA on average lasted 10 hours where the MBP never touched 7 hours usually started going by 5.5 hours.

The good side for the MBP is it is highly expandable, can get 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage, though it does come at a hefty price.

In the end the decision to take the MBP over the MBA boiled down to the display for me, to which the MBP is significantly better.

If it is a 13" MBA vs 13" MBP I'd say get the MBP unless you travel or move around a lot.
Go for a Big Mac. Much cheaper than the ones Apple do.
Original post by CallumPalace
I'm currently going into my second year of university and looking to purchase a new laptop/computer. I currently have an ASUS laptop which is a few years old (in which I have installed an SSD and upgraded the RAM) but is buggy as hell to use and gets hot due to pressure on the poor CPU within the system. My current laptop isn't portable at all and is heavy which weighs down my bag when at uni so it really isn't practical.

I've decided i'm going to purchase a Mac through the education scheme or from John Lewis as my girlfriend works there and I can get discount. I'm debating between an air or macbook pro, I''m edging towards the 13" inch Air due to portability. I don't need a DVD drive and it's simply lighter. I will be using it for word processing (office software), spotify and web browsing.

I was considering the pro retina version however it puts me off due to the fact it's non upgrade-able. I was also considering an iMac but I personally think a laptop would be suitable. My girlfriend has a mid 2012 pro and that feels like a brick and im not overly impressed in comparison to my current laptop.What to do?

Thanks in advance!


Air does everything you want. It's more portable, as you say (it's noticeably lighter and thinner, however much they've improved the most recent Pro), and it's very nice being able to go to work wherever you like and not have to carry a charger with you, knowing you'll have enough charge to stay as long as you need to. Also, I upgraded the RAM and processor, and it still cost less than the cheapest Pro Retina iirc. Anyway, I know I can keep open as many word documents and browser tabs open as I like, with spotify and itunes too, without anything slowing down. If that's all you want to use your laptop for, the Air is more than ample.
Somewhat on topic. One that works, would be preferable to one that doesn't...I'd guess. The Macbook Pro is very good, but the power comes at a cost. From the workload you suggest, it is difficult to recommend the Pro...the cost doesn't seem to be worth it. But with the Air, you pay for the form factor. Why oh why did Apple get rid of the polycarbonate regular Macbooks?

Original post by Michael!
Go for a Big Mac. Much cheaper than the ones Apple do.

This. :biggrin:

May I suggest to look beyond Macs? Does it have to be a Mac, and if so, why? It becomes very difficult to recommend any Mac or Apple product to a university student, because of cost. Even with your store discount and educational discount, I'd guestimate that you are still looking north of £500-600. There are a lot of 13" form-factor laptops that are really good too as well.
Original post by jammy4041
Somewhat on topic. One that works, would be preferable to one that doesn't...I'd guess. The Macbook Pro is very good, but the power comes at a cost. From the workload you suggest, it is difficult to recommend the Pro...the cost doesn't seem to be worth it. But with the Air, you pay for the form factor. Why oh why did Apple get rid of the polycarbonate regular Macbooks?


This. :biggrin:

May I suggest to look beyond Macs? Does it have to be a Mac, and if so, why? It becomes very difficult to recommend any Mac or Apple product to a university student, because of cost. Even with your store discount and educational discount, I'd guestimate that you are still looking north of £500-600. There are a lot of 13" form-factor laptops that are really good too as well.


Don't really have a budget, possibly around £1200 max.
Macbook Pro retina lineup was updated earlier this morning, check it out if you're considering one (there's some price drops)
Original post by Scott1541
Macbook Pro retina lineup was updated earlier this morning, check it out if you're considering one (there's some price drops)


I know thanks mate thinking I'm going to go for the MacBook Pro with 8gb ram and 128gb flash!


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Original post by CallumPalace
I know thanks mate thinking I'm going to go for the MacBook Pro with 8gb ram and 128gb flash!


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I think I'll be buying that one in a few weeks myself actually :biggrin: Was originally thinking about getting a 2012 non-retina MBP and upgrading it myself but now I want one of these instead. :tongue:
Original post by Scott1541
I think I'll be buying that one in a few weeks myself actually :biggrin: Was originally thinking about getting a 2012 non-retina MBP and upgrading it myself but now I want one of these instead. :tongue:


I was exactly in the same situation mate, I was planning on buying a MBP 12' and upgrading myself but this is a much better deal!
Yeah the non-retina pro is much worse than the new ones. Not worth it for the small price difference IMHO.

Much heavier, shorter battery life, and slower integrated graphics.

The only upside is they are upgradeable, but that's a pretty big price to pay for the upgradeability.
Reply 16
A few models have just got updated with better specs (so if your looking in a store make sure they have the newer model)
Apple's MacBook Pros with Retina display now have faster processors and more memory http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/29/5946545/apple-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-processor-ram-upgrade-price-drop
Its definitely a competition between the 13 inch Air and the 13 inch Retina Pro. The Retina has a few key advantages over the Air which make the Air a dud. The Retina has a Retina display which is not only high res but has very high colour accuracy and excellent viewing angles, it has a more powerful variant of the Core i5(not a ULV processor like the Air), marginally faster Iris 5100 GPU, 2 Thunderbolt ports. The Thunderbolt ports are interesting. You could use on of them to hook up to a Display Port Monitor which supports resolutions above 1080p whilst at the same time you could use a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter to get ethernet support. You can do a lot of cool things with them.

Price wise, these machines are real damn close to another now. For £999, the Air gets you a 256GB SSD and 4GB RAM whilst the Retina Pro at £999 gets you a 128GB SSD and 8GB RAM. IF you need to dual boot into Windows, the Air makes more sense at that price. If you're willing to carry an external HDD like I do with my rMBP, the Retina is the better model. My model I went with has a 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM and a 2.4GHz Dual Core i5 and an external 1TB HDD, didn't want to compromise
Went for the MBP with retina, nothing else compared to the price I got it for, just picked up a case (cost me £60) but everything is just worth every penny, doubt I'll ever go back to windows for a long time...


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Why must it be a Mac ?

some people are so materialistic

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