EmailThere are a number of considerations to keep in mind when shopping for an Apple computer. Although your shopping experience may be very different depending on your intended purpose, there are a few general things to keep in mind that apply to all Apple computers:
- Get as much RAM as you can afford. All Macs come with at least 1 GB, but will operate better with 2 GB. More RAM will allow you to work in more open applications at once without system drag, and upgrading to a discrete video card liberates your RAM for the applications you are running. If you upgrade any one feature, experts say upgrading RAM is more important than a jump in processor speed.
- Consider the display coating. Reflective screen coatings are popular, because they make graphics and movies look more saturated. However, these glossy screen coatings can create glare, especially under office lighting or bright sunlight. If you plan mainly on office work, consider the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which has an anti-glare option. All other models now have glossy displays.
- Displays on iMacs may bother some users. If you are considering an iMac and will use it for design work, photo editing or watching movies, check the display in a store before buying. Make sure that contrast gradations won't bother you.
- Consider hard drive size. Photo, music and video files take up a lot of space, and adding a larger hard drive when you configure a system is a worthwhile upgrade if you work with multimedia files. You can't add an additional internal hard drive to a consumer-model Mac, so allowing room for growth can be a good investment. If you don't save media files, a big hard drive is less important.
- Consider AppleCare or a third-party service contract. If you don't have much Mac expertise and think you may need a good deal of tech support, AppleCare can be a good value. If not, you probably don't need to spend the extra money, especially if you live near an Apple Store.