Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing a few articles looking at what areas I think Apple is doing well and struggling with its various product lines. I looked at the and the.

This week, I want to look at the state of the Mac as we quickly head to the end of the year. What’s the best Mac laptop to buy?

What’s the worst Mac to buy? What do we hope for heading into 2019? These are all questions I aim to answer as I look at the state of the Mac in 2018. MacBook Oddly enough, the MacBook hasn’t received an update this year. The MacBook starts at $1299 (routinely ), but the base model contains an Intel Core M processor, so it’s going to struggle compared to some of the other computers.

It includes the previous generation keyboard that was known to have reliability issues, and it still only has 1 USB-C port (. Is the MacBook worth buying? If you want the smallest and lightest laptop that runs macOS, then yes. You’ll pay a premium for it, but it’s still a good machine.

It’ll likely receive an update sometime next year, so hold off if you can. I would with the upgraded processor and 512GB storage if you can afford it. The bottom line is that it’s overpriced for the performance, but you are paying for the portability.

MacBook Air The is the newest laptop in Apple’s lineup. After years of it selling well despite being an old machine, Apple finally revised it to include USB-C, a retina screen, a 16GB RAM upgrade option, and a modern processor. It also picked up the new third-generation butterfly keyboard that is supposed to be more reliable. My only complaint about this laptop is that the storage should start at 256GB and go up from there. The base model includes 128GB, which can fill up very quickly.

It also includes Apple’s for additional security. Overall, the MacBook Air is the in the Apple lineup when comparing performance, design, and price. It’s my default recommendation when people ask for laptop buying advice.

It’ll likely be the default model for enterprise buyers as well. If you stop reading right here, the MacBook Air is the best Mac to buy if you want a laptop.

MacBook Pro The MacBook Pro models were earlier this year (except for the low-end 13-inch model). The new laptops also bring Apple’s True Tone display technology to the Mac lineup for the first time, as well as a third-generation butterfly keyboard. Apple says the new keyboard enables quieter typing, although hopefully there are reliability improvements as well. There are no changes today to the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro. The new laptops can be configured with up to 32 GB RAM and up to 4 TB SSD. In addition to adding True Tone from iOS, the laptops also bring ‘Hey Siri’ to Mac for the first time. ‘Hey Siri’ is enabled with the Apple T2 chip coprocessor, which also delivers enhanced system security and secure boot — just like the iMac Pro.

These upgrades were undoubtedly impressive. If you need 32GB of RAM, you are thankful for the option. If you need additional onboard storage, you are grateful for the option. While the price jumps up quickly, creatives are willing to pay because of the benefits it’ll bring to their workflows. The jury is still out on the keyboard, but we’ve not yet seen the widespread problems that we saw with the previous models (yet). The Touch Bar is still a point of discussion for a lot of people, but I am indifferent on it.

It’s an interesting addition, but I don’t know if it’s something I would want to pay extra for. I rarely use the F keys, but maybe I would use the Touch Bar more if my laptop had it. My co-workers who have it do like it.

Overall, the is in a healthy place. It contains a modern processor and plenty of upgrade options. I would recommend everything but the non-Touch Bar models. If you want something around that price point, I would recommend the Air instead.

Mac Pro In all seriousness, don’t buy it. Obama was the US president the last time the Mac Pro was updated and Apple is likely releasing an. IMac The iMac is at an interesting place right now.

Is it a powerful machine? Yes, but it wasn’t updated in 2018.

Is it a capable machine if you buy one for Christmas? The screen is still amazing, the hardware is reliable, and the processor is still fast. If you want an iMac style body, then you won’t regret it. If you can wait till the next round of updates, I’d recommend holding off. Going forward, I’d like Apple to stop selling a low-end model without a 4K display.

They should also stop selling models with spinning platter hard drives. The default hard drive is a 5400 RPM drive. The default should be 256GB flash storage with upgrades from there. Even the $1499 model is still a spinning platter drive with a small flash option (known as a Fusion drive). Overall, the is still a great machine, but I would have liked to have seen at least a processor upgrade earlier this year.

IMac Pro The was met with much fanfare when it was released. It was one of the first built for power users machines Apple had released in a while. It starts at $4999, and contains 32GB of RAM, a 1 TB flash storage drive, 10 gigabit ethernet, a 3.2GHz 8-core Intel Xeon W processor, and Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8GB HBM2 memory. In summary, it’s fast. While it didn’t receive updates in 2018 (it came out at the end of 2017), it’s still a great machine. If you need hardware like this, $5000 is a business investment vs. Something for photos and browsing the web.

Mac Mini The Mac that was the most frustrating (due to lack of updates) is now back to being the darling. Apple has just released new Mac mini models, so now is a great time to buy this model. It starts at, and it includes flash storage by default, plenty of ports, and a 3.6GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i3 processor. There are plenty of upgrade options for a faster processor (3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor), more RAM (up to 32 GB), and even a 10GB Ethernet port. It includes 4 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A, Ethernet, HDMI, and a headphone jack.

The port situation is the opposite of what Apple has done with its laptop lineup, so we were all surprised. It also picked up Apple’s T2 chip for additional security. Overall, if you want a desktop for the home, the current Mac mini is the best Mac macOS Like I mentioned with my state of the iPad article, all of these devices are useless without software. Apple released earlier this year.

New features include a, a new screenshot utility, and more. While the rate of innovation on macOS might seem like it has slowed, Apple has continued adding small enhancements year after year to make macOS a better experience for new users while remaining a great place for power users as well.

It’s not perfect, but there is no OS I’d prefer to use than macOS. What’s the best Mac to buy? As we head into the final few weeks of 2018, Apple’s Mac lineup has been set for the next few months. While the Mac Pro desperately needs an update, all of the rest of Apple’s computers can be recommended. If you are searching for buying advice, here are my final recommendations:. Don’t get a spinning platter hard drive (only comes in the iMac). Get 16GB of RAM if you can afford it.

Word For Mac 2018

Get a 256GB flash storage drive over a 128 GB if you can afford it. Don’t buy the $999 MacBook Air (the old model). Don’t buy the cheapest iMac Outside of that, I would recommend the MacBook Air as the best laptop model and the Mac mini as the best desktop model. Both have been recently updated and should last for years to come.

That said, all of the machines (outside of the Mac Pro) would be great computers to add to your home.

Last Updated: September 20, 2018 To enable your Mac to handle the demands of Virtual Reality (VR) games or Augmented Reality (AR) and work with a, an External Graphics Processing Unit (eGPU) is essential. Even if you’re not interested in VR gaming or apps, an eGPU is a modest investment that makes a massive improvement to the performance of your Mac. However, not all eGPUs are compatible with the MacBook Pros or iMacs so you have to be careful which one you choose.

So we’ve done the hard work for you and looked at the best eGPUs for Mac users in 2018. What Is An eGPU? An eGPU is basically an external unit that houses a powerful graphics card which will allow your MacBook Pro or iMac to deal with graphic intensive applications. Not only this but an eGPU unit turns your humble MacBook into a powerful desktop gaming system or 4K video editing system capable of competing with the very best. Advanced 3D graphics platforms such as, which are way beyond the capabilities of current Macs, suddenly become accessible with an eGPU. It also means that highly demanding games can be played at maximum resolution on Mac – something that current Macs struggle with or can’t handle.

Most exciting of all however, is that eGPUs open-up the world of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality to Mac users. The great thing about an eGPU is that because it’s external, you can leave it at home for gaming or VR use and still enjoy the portability of your MacBook if you want to take it with you somewhere. EGPUs are not all about gaming though. They can also provide much greater number crunching power when it comes to analyzing data with, forecasting, big data and more. System Requirements For eGPUs Unless you’re lucky enough to own one of the latest which can handle VR out of the box without the need for an eGPU, you’ll need to make sure your Mac meets some basic minimum requirements. The main requirement Mac users should be looking for in an eGPU is that it supports Thunderbolt 3 as it requires the high data speeds of up to 40Gps that only Thunderbolt 3 connections can deliver to your Mac. This means ideally you need a MacBook Pro from 2016 onwards or an iMac from 2017 as they are the only Macs which have Thunderbolt 3 ports.

However, with a MacBook Pro from early 2015 or iMac from mid 2015 or later using a, you can also connect an eGPU unit. However to use a VR helmet too, you’ll need a Mac with an Intel Core i5 chip or higher. This is because the that officially supports macOS is the HTC Vive which requires an Intel Core i5 or higher present in 2015 Macs. The following Macs only have Thunderbolt 2 ports although those made before 2015 do not have the Intel Core i5 chip:. MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) and later. iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015). iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015).

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iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) through 2015. Mac mini (Late 2014). MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) through 2015.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) through 2015. Mac Pro (Late 2013) However, we generally don’t recommend daisy-chaining an eGPU unit via a Thunderbolt adapter. It’s not officially supported in High Sierra or Mojave and you’ll get more reliable performance by using a Mac which already has a Thunderbolt 3 port.

EGPUs & Graphics Cards The other major thing you’ll need of course is a graphics card to put inside the eGPU unit (unless you buy an all-in-one solution like the excellent portable ). You have to be careful with this because not all graphics cards are supported by macOS High Sierra and Mojave yet.

At the moment, AMD graphics cards based on Polaris are the safest bet which includes the Sapphire Pulse and WX range. In particular, the works perfectly and is a safe option for Mac users if you want to save yourself compatibility headaches. Note that you should think twice before using NVIDIA cards for now as although NVIDIA has updated its recently and has issued for the ultra powerful to work on Mac, there are still some issues with them working with eGPUs on High Sierra. Most users have found more success with AMD cards but as High Sierra is updated and the price of the Titan X comes down, there will be better support.

Another thing to bear in mind is that if you’re using a MacBook Pro, you’ll need to make sure that the eGPU unit can provide enough power to power both the graphics card and charge your Mac. The eGPU chassis needs to provide at least 85 watts of charging power to achieve this. All the eGPU units reviewed in this article all provide enough power to do both but if you choose a different model, double-check this with the manufacturer. You’ll also need to be running the very latest version of macOS 10.13 High Sierra or macOS 10.14 Mojave so make sure you’ve updated through the App Store. Throughout early 2018, Apple has been slowly updating High Sierra to perform better with eGPUs as initially there were various bugs and stability issues such as having to log in and out of macOS when you connect and disconnect eGPU units. The provided much better support for eGPUs with fixes for connection issues, acceleration for Metal, OpenGL or OpenCL and support for more VR headsets. The are always at the cutting edge of VR development but you can only install them if you’re a member of the Apple Beta Software Program.

Although the beta versions offer enhanced VR support earlier, it’s recommended that you wait for the final releases as beta versions can be unstable and conflict with other apps on your Mac. MacOS Mojave & eGPUs The latest version of macOS Mojave brings the best eGPU support yet. The biggest improvement is that Mojave allows you to use your MacBook Pro or iMac display as your main monitor. Previously, the full benefits of using an eGPU were only fully realized with an external monitor connected to your Mac.

Even better, it also allows you to choose which applications benefit from eGPU acceleration. Unfortunately, NVIDIA cards still aren’t supported in Mojave and our advice is to stick to AMD for now. Now you’re better informed, here is our list of the best eGPUs for Mac of 2018 in order of ranking. There are three things that make the the best eGPU for Mac currently available: convenience, size and Apple endorsement. Convenience because it’s an all-in-one setup. It’s an eGPU unit with a Radeon RX 570 graphics card built-in – there’s no need to buy and fit a separate graphics card to go in it.

We love the size because it’s the only portable eGPU for Mac on the market. EGPUs are pretty large units and take quite a bit of space on your desk – they’re certainly not designed to be portable. The Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Puck is the exception because at 6x2x5.1 inches, it’s small enough to put in your rucksack or laptop bag and take with you. Finally, Apple officially endorse both Sonnet’s Puck and Breakaway Box (see review below) as recommended eGPUs for macOS. Despite it’s size, you don’t need to carry your MacBook Power supply with you either because it can charge your MacBook. The other impressive thing for an eGPU this small is that there are ports three DisplayPorts and one HDMI port meaning you can connect up to four 4K displays.

There are two models of the Puck – the and which have a Radeon 560 and Radeon 570 card inside respectively. The 570 is a few hundred dollars more expensive but is more powerful and worth if it if you don’t want to hassle of upgrading in a few years time as VR apps and games on Mac really take off. Pros: No need to purchase a graphics card – it’s all included The only portable eGPU for Mac Connect up to four 4K displays Extremely quiet Cons: Power Pack is quite large The is officially endorsed by Apple to developers so you can safely say that it provides rock solid compatibility with Macs. In fact, Apple are selling the Sonnet eGPU as part of its for $599 for those that want to develop VR apps and games on Mac. The kit is only available to members of the Apple Development Program however and includes the Sonnet eGFX Breakway Box, AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB graphics card and Belkin USB-C to 4-port USB-A hub. This is actually a very good deal because although you can buy the Sonnet eGPU cheaper on it’s own, the will set you back several hundred dollars plus you’ll need to purchase the However, if you’ve already got a graphics card, it’s cheaper to buy the Sonnet eGFX and Thunderbolt Hub. If you’re not part of the Apple Developer Program though, you can’t take advantage of the Apple deal anyway and have to purchase everything seperately.

What we like about the Sonnet is that it’s extremely quiet. In fact even under extensive use and heavy load we’re yet to hear the fans whir. It comes with its own 350W power supply and the neat thing is that once connected to your Mac via Thunderbolt 3, it actually provides power to your Mac too – useful if you don’t have access to a power supply. Like most eGPUs, it’s extremely easy to slot in a graphics card and your Mac will automatically detect it when you connect the Thunderbolt cable. If it doesn’t for any reason, try logging in and out of your Mac as High Sierra is still a bit temperamental when it comes to eGPU plug and play although the latest updates to High Sierra have improved this.

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On the downside, it does feel like a big unit especially if you don’t have much space on your desk. It dwarfs most external drives and it needs to be fairly close to your Mac due to the rather short 0.5m Thunderbolt 3 cable. There used to be a few minor bugs with High Sierra such as the device not appearing in the “About This Mac” Menu but these also have been fixed with the latest High Sierra updates.

Some Adobe applications don’t appear to utilize the full GPU memory though and this may take longer to fix if Adobe need to issue a fix. Note that the Sonnet also does not support running Windows through Boot Camp. We don’t recommend this anyway now that High Sierra supports eGPU units but if you are thinking of, bear this in mind. You can watch an interesting setup of a Sonnet Breakaway being used with an HTC Vive Headset to play VR games on High Sierra. You can also how the Sonnet Breakaway eGPU makes some impressive improvements to 4K video editing on Mac.

Pros: Extremely quiet Supports Thunderbolt 3 Easy to plug and play graphics card Also charges your MacBook Pro (only 550W and 650W Models – not the 350W) Cons: Size – extremely big if you’ve got a small desk Thunderbolt cable length (0.5m) Some bugs with High Sierra but improving Does not support Boot Camp The is currently the biggest competitor to the Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box and retails for around the same price. Akitio is based in California and specializes in doing everything in-house designing and creating new Thunderbolt peripherals such as and now eGPUs. The products are extremely reliable, functional and are quickly gathering a dedicated following. Like the Sonnet, the Akitio Node is very easy to set up and use with plug and play support for graphics cards. The Akitio Node has a PCIe (x16) slot that will take full-sized and also double-width cards. The Node also has a built-in power supply which can help if not enough power is getting to your graphics card.

The Akitio Node is pretty quiet although the extra power supply makes it slightly noisier than the Sonnet. On the downside, like the Sonnet it’s also a very big unit and takes up a lot of space on your desk. It’s also quite soft at the front of the unit so be careful when moving it around not to dent it. It does however have a useful carry handle on the back which makes it a bit easier to transport and move around than the Sonnet.

If you want to try installing Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp, the Akitio does support too but as mentioned earlier, there’s really no need to do this now that High Sierra supports a growing number of eGPUs. Pros: Easy to set up and use Accepts all sizes of graphics card Includes extra power supply Supports running through Boot Camp Cons: Size Power supply makes more noise than Sonnet Thunderbolt cable length (0.5m) The main attraction of the is that it has an extra Thunderbolt 3 Dedicated DisplayPort to add another monitor to your display setup. Other than that, there aren’t many differences between it at the standard Akitio Node although it has a metallic finish and a handle on the top rather than on the sides. It’s also a bit noisier than the Akitio Node which in itself is a bit noisier than the Sonnet although nothing that becomes too disturbing or disruptive. There is a mesh panel which helps dissipate the heat from the fans too. Unless you need an extra monitor, you don’t really need the Akitio Node Pro which retails in the region of around $350 – almost $100 more than the standard version.

However, it’s definitely well worth the extra dollars if you’re going to be doing VR video editing because of the added 4K monitor support Pros: Extra Thunderbolt 3 port for connecting external monitor Metallic finish Handle on top rather than at the back Cons: Noisier fans than the Akitio Node Thunderbolt cable length (0.5m) Price The is a Thunderbolt 3 compatible eGPU unit with an extra 5 USB 3.0 ports and an Ethernet connection port. There’s also room for a SATA connector if you want to add an external hard drive to it. Setup of the Mantiz Venus is very easy as your Mac will automatically detect and install the necessary drivers to run graphics cards in it. On the downside, the HDMI refresh rate seems to be quite low for VR gaming although it’s not clear if this is an issue with a box or High Sierra. Like the Akitio Nose, it also supports both VR gaming in Windows via Boot Camp and macOS High Sierra. The Mantiz Venus is also almost twice the price of the Akitio Node and Sonnet at just under $400 but will mainly appeal to those that want plenty of USB 3.0 ports.

Pros: 5 USB 3.0 Ports Sleek metallic finish Easy to setup Cons: Price No carry handle Thunderbolt cable length (0.5m) The eGPU works with both AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards. The Helios FX is a good option for video editors as it supports PCIe cards including Red Rocket and AVID Pro Tools for video editors. It’s quite a big unit and log enough to accept full-sized, double width GPU cards and provides enough power to run both the eGPU and charge your MacBook Pro at the same time. The OWC Mercury Helios FX is endorsed by Apple to be fully compatible with High Sierra. Although OWC state that it’s fully compatible with NVIDIA cards, Mac users should stick to AMD for now as there are still incompatibility problems with NVIDIA cards and High Sierra. Pros: AVID Pro Tools support Fully compatible with both AMD and NVIDIA cards Accepts full length and width GPU cards Cons: Lack of ports NVIDIA support not much use on Mac at the moment These are currently the best eGPUs for MacBook Pros and iMacs on the market.

One common practical problem we noticed with all of them was the length of the Thunderbolt 3 cable that comes with them. Since the manufacturers only provide a 0.5m cable, it means you must have the large units close to your Mac which isn’t always convenient if you haven’t got much space. However, for an extra 50 bucks you can get which are definitely worth the investment so that you can store the units on the floor or away from your Mac. If you have any questions about these eGPUs or have problems using them with your Mac, let us know in the comments below and we’ll try to help. If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in our – NVIDIA’S impressive solution to gaming on Mac (although it doesn’t support VR). You can also see below what an eGPU can do when connected to your Mac.