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When you’re about to get a new Mac, you might see that even within a specific model (say, MacBook Air), there are at least two or three options to choose from, and then the possibility to upgrade your Mac even further during checkout. While most of those features and add-ons make intuitive sense — more RAM, more storage, faster SSDs vs. HDDs — processors often confuse many.

What’s the difference between i5 and i7? Should you choose dual core vs quad core? What is a good processor speed in terms of GHz? All these and other questions are answered in the article below.

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What Are The Different MacBook Pro Processors?

As mentioned above, processors vary not only between Mac models but also within the same model too. Moreover, with new technological breakthroughs happening every year, a MacBook Air processor from 2020 is a completely different beast to the one made in 2016.

Here’s a brief overview of all the variable parts that comprise a processor:

• GHz measure the raw processing speed of a single CPU unit

• Cores denominate the amount of independent CPU units

• Intel i5 vs i7 vs i3 vs i9 show the model of the processor itself

• Turbo Boost gives occasional acceleration to the processing speed

• CPU cache is essentially your processor’s memory

• Hyper-threading allows to handle more independent tasks for the cores you have available

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To give you a real-life example, currently you can buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro with 2.4 GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor and Turbo Boost up to 5.0 GHz. Let’s dive in each of those aspects in more detail and see how they compare to your current MacBook setup.

Which processor is in your Mac right now?

Depending on how old your Mac is, its processor could have a completely different performance compared to what’s available in the Apple Store today. You might be even wondering, “What processor do I have?”

Here’s how to find out your Mac’s processor specs:

1. Click the Apple logo in the menu bar ➙ About This Mac Best free android youtube downloader.

2. Select System Report…

3. Make sure to have the Hardware tab open

Now you can see that your MacBook could be running on a dual-core 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5, for example. You might also notice that the generation of your processor is not specified. There’s a special trick you need to know to find it:

1. Open Terminal from your Utilities folder in Applications

2. Type sysctl machdep.cpu.brand_string

3. Hit Enter

4. Note the digit after the dash (e.g. -5). It denotes your processor’s generation.

After you’ve finally found out the exact specs of your Mac’s CPU, let’s break it down into specific details to be able to conduct a proper processor speed comparison.

What’s GHz meaning in CPU?

In general, hertz (Hz) is a measurement of frequency or, as often defined, cycles (of something) per second. All the contemporary CPUs are so fast that they are measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billions of cycles per second. Naturally, the higher the number the more operations your Mac can complete.

So why not always get the highest number possible? Well, first, it’s the cost: in general, you pay more for a processor with more GHz. Second, putting the max GHz processor in your Mac would be more taxing on your battery and in some cases could even lead to overheating. Third, if you often don’t do tasks where billions of processes per second matter (e.g. video games, compositing, virtual reality) then you don’t get any substantial benefit from having them at all.

How many cores should your Mac have?

Once you’ve understood the GHz meaning in CPUs, you might think of yourself as a master in processor speed comparison. But not so fast. For example, which do you think performs better: a 1.5 GHz dual-core Mac or 1.7 GHz single-core one? You’ll be wrong to go for the highest GHz number here — you also need to consider the number of cores.

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Cores are essentially independent processors within your CPU. Since each of them has the same capability in terms of GHz, the number of cores in your Mac is basically a multiplier for your processing power. So, in the example above, instead of having a single 1.7 GHz processor, it’s much better to have two 1.5 GHz ones because they can share the load between them and perform tasks faster as a result.

Today, you’re not likely to find any single-core Macs still on the market. Even the most basic MacBook Air now starts with a 1.1 GHz dual-core CPU. So, for most people, the choice is between dual core vs quad core, even though an iMac Pro can take on up to 18 cores and Mac Pro up to 28.

Which processor model to choose?

The next thing you usually see on any Mac after the number of GHz and cores is the type of the CPU chip itself. Throughout the years, Apple has used M, i3, i5, i7, i9, and Xeon. Each of those models is also constantly being updated, with new releases being faster and more efficient, and flagged as generations.

In today’s Mac lineup, Apple is using Intel chips anywhere from the seventh (really old) to tenth (the latest as of 2020) generation. The breakdown for chip models is currently as follows:

• MacBook Air and Mac mini use i3, i5, and i7

• MacBook Pro 13-inch uses i5 or i7

• MacBook Pro 16-inch uses i7 or i9

• iMacs offer a choice of i3, i5, and i9

• iMac Pros and Mac Pros use Xeon W

Here, you might wonder what’s the best Intel processor? And it’s hard to say — the high end of the spectrum (e.g. i9) definitely excels at performance but is harder on the battery, whereas the lower end (e.g. i3) would allow you to spend all day typing without charge, but might get stuck on more powerful tasks. That’s why people usually find that Intel i5 vs i7 MacBook Pro is a good middle ground. In that case, i7 comes with a benefit of hyper-threading, which effectively doubles the core count for short periods of time.

What’s Turbo Boost?

To solve the problem of powerful processing chips burning through your battery life, Intel came up with an ingenious solution. Since most of the time your Mac is busy with mundane tasks — sorting mail, browsing the web — that don’t require lots of GHz, it makes sense to keep the GHz low and create a way for your CPU to spike only when it needs to process large chunks of data. Apple called this feature Turbo Boost.

Turbo Boost helps your Mac cope with large amounts of occasional information, so this indicator should definitely go into your processor speed comparison. If you mostly busy yourself with lightweight tasks but occasionally need to edit a short video, there’s no need to go for the top-shelf Mac model — just make sure that Turbo Boost covers your needs.

Why bother with CPU cache?

Just like cache in your web browser is there to save frequently used data (e.g. remember that you’re logged into a web app), cache in your processor serves to make operations more efficient by storing some bits of data used in repetitive processing.

The amount of CPU cache in your Mac processor is usually just a few megabytes — so low that the mention of it is quite hard to come by. Generally, if you pick one of the latest generation CPUs, it would have enough cache for its needs, so you don’t need to worry about it that much at all.

How important is hyper-threading?

As mentioned above, one of the main differences between Intel i5 vs i7 MacBook Pro is the inclusion of hyper-threading in the chip of the latter model. Hyper-threading distinguishes best Intel processors and allows the CPU to perform twice as many computations in relation to the number of cores. So a dual-core laptop can behave like a quad-core one for a brief period of time. You could think of it as an additional Turbo Boost, albeit much more powerful.

Which MacBook processor do you need?

With so much choice when it comes to MacBook Pro or MacBook Air processors, how do you make sure you invest in the right one?

Of course, everyone is in a unique situation, but here are some general recommendations:

1. Avoid i3 chips if you want your MacBook to serve you for a long time. As these are entry level CPUs, they become outdated much faster than others.

2. Similarly, don’t splurge on i9s unless you do some really CPU-intensive work (e.g. video editing). They are hard on your battery and could heat up your Mac very quickly.

3. An i5 vs i7 is the real dilemma here. If you think you can benefit from hyper-threading, get an i7. Otherwise, stick to i5.

Always monitor your Mac’s performance

While most of the advice in this article is based on general assumptions, nothing can substitute you knowing the exact use patterns when it comes to your Mac. Monitoring your usage and the way your Mac is able to handle it should be your top priority to achieve maximum productivity.

iStat Menus is the most advanced Mac monitoring solution you can find. This handy utility lives in your menu bar and offers unbelievable details on every aspect of your Mac, lots of which are next to impossible to dig up any other way. Easily see the state of your CPU, RAM, GPU, disks, network, sensors, and more at a glance.

How to quickly speed up your Mac?

At some point, you’ll feel that your Mac has become slow. And you’ll probably be right. As you use your Mac more and more, you tend to accumulate lots of old files, your cache files grow, user logs take more time to process, etc. What’s important to remember here is that this problem is not with your physical processor slowing down but rather with what’s inside of your macOS, which means it can be cleaned.

CleanMyMac X is the world’s leading optimization software that could effortlessly delete a good dozens of gigabytes of useless data from your hard drive while considerably speeding up your Mac in the process. You can easily free up RAM, flush DNS cache, reindex Spotlight, quit hung apps, and much more, all at the click of a button.

To speed up Mac:

1. Open CleanMyMac X and go to the Maintenance tab under Speed

2. Select as many scripts as you wish

3. Click Run

In the end, observing the facts beats theory every time. So if you’ve been thinking of an upgrade but are still not sure which MacBook processor to pick, monitor your usage with iStat Menus to get more clarity. Maybe you’ll find that all you need to do to have a brand new Mac is just optimize the old one using CleanMyMac X.

Best of all, iStat Menus and CleanMyMac X are both available to you at no cost for seven days through a trial of Setapp, a platform with more than 170 best-in-class Mac apps, from photo retouching (CameraBag Pro) to unlimited clipboard (Paste). Try free for a week and see how much easier your Mac life can be.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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Students preparing to head back to school or even embark on a new college journey can benefit from having the right technology at their fingertips. Between desktop Macs, MacBook Pro laptops, and even iPads, choosing the perfect device for school can mean sorting through hundreds of different configurations.

AppleInsider is breaking down your list of options to find the best Mac for students, whether you're a college student heading off to campus this fall or the parent of a child in elementary school needing a budget-friendly Apple computer for remote learning. From the longest battery life to the lowest Apple prices on machines that offer best-in-class performance, we've got you covered.

Students who need a bit more power, such as artists and designers, can easily find it here. The large, 16-inch screen provides ample working space at a 3072-by-1920 native resolution, perfect for working in programs like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. The option to upgrade to a Core i9 processor means you'll always have power to spare, regardless of the project.

Depending on what programs students will be running, they have several memory and graphics options available to them. For general use, the base 16 gigabytes of memory will be more than enough for most students and has the added benefit of saving them money. If a student plans on doing extensive video editing or 3D modeling, they can upgrade to either 32 or 64 gigabytes of RAM at an additional cost.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro has a variety of options when it comes to graphics, as well. The base model features an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M card with 4GB of GDDR6 memory, which is sufficient for most users. However, power users may find that upgrading to the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M option gives them better results when working in programs like Maya or AutoCad.

For students in creative majors, such as digital arts and design, we suggest upgrading storage to at least 1TB, if not more. That assures that you won't be butting up against storage caps during finals week. For multi-device users, an iCloud account is recommended, especially for students who like to split between working on a MacBook Pro and an iPad.

As always, it's suggested that prospective students speak to their academic advisors about what sort of computer may best suit their needs.

• High performance
• Long battery life
• Big screen

• Expensive
• Heavy
• Huge footprint

What the MacBook Air lacks in power it makes up for it in portability and price. You can get a new baseline MacBook Air for $899 with a student discount. The 13.3-inch retina display will display your notes and video in brilliant colors at a high 2560-by-1600 resolution.

There are two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the side, which means you can charge your device and connect an external drive or peripheral at the same time. Higher-end MacBooks have more ports, though, so having only a two-port option might be a deal-breaker.

Because it weighs in at only 2.8 pounds, your back will thank you as you move about the campus during the day. The base model comes with a 1.1GHz Core i3 processor with 256GB of storage. This configuration works great for most use cases related to studying and note-taking. If you need more processing power, you can upgrade to an i5 or i7 chipset, or double your RAM to 16GB for a premium.

The mid-tier MacBook Air retails for $1,299 with the i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Upgrading the memory or processor past this configuration leads you into 13-inch MacBook Pro pricing territory, but only upgrade to that machine if graphic processing for design apps and games are important to you.

• Low price
• Lightweight
• Small form factor

• Low performance
• Upgrades are expensive
• Only two ports

Whether you're a commuter, living in a dorm, or simply want the option to take your MacBook Pro to class, the best all-around choice is the new 13-inch MacBook Pro. It combines portability with enough power for nearly any project most students will encounter.

The small size means it fits easily into most backpacks and laptop bags, but the 2560-by-1600 native resolution allows for ample working space. This makes it ideal for writing papers or working in your college's course management system, and the gorgeous retina display is ideal for streaming your favorite Apple TV+ shows.

This MacBook has several different storage options to choose from. We suggest that students upgrade to the one terabyte storage option, which allows them to store papers, projects, and pictures without fear of butting up against the storage capacity. For users who save a lot of music or video files, we suggest at least two terabytes to be safe.

For the average college student, the base 16 gigabytes of memory should be plenty. Users who do more intense programs, or those looking to future-proof their MacBook for a bit may want to upgrade to the 32-gigabyte option, but it comes at an additional cost.

Again, for most students, the 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor will be more than enough. For students who plan on dabbling in video editing or 3D modeling software, upgrading to the Intel Core i7 option may be ideal.

If you're not sure what upgrades you should pick, your academic advisor or a professor in your major should be able to help point you in the right direction.

• Smaller size
• Faster processor in base model
• Plenty of upgrade options

• High starting price when compared to similar MacBook Air
• Must upgrade to more expensive option for more ports
• No discrete GPU options

We might all want a MacBook Pro, but if you can live without the portability, then invariably –– invariably –– a desktop computer will give you more performance, more power, and more storage than a laptop for the same price. Plus, no MacBook Pro can match the screen of a 27-inch iMac.

That clearly makes this machine a perfect buy for arts, graphics, or media students. However, you don't need to be running Photoshop or Final Cut Pro X to appreciate the benefits of an exceptional screen.

Plus, the way the 27-inch iMac 5K is effectively a slim screen with a computer hidden inside it, means that it's a great buy for a small dorm. You could do with a good lock on that dorm, but you couldn't do better than this iMac.

The same iMac range does include a 21-inch model, with a screen that is optionally 4K, but it isn't recommended. The 27-inch version doesn't just come with six more inches of screen diagonally, it comes with higher resolution, and processors up to 8-core Intel Core i9.

The 21.5-inch iMac can have up to six cores and Intel Core i7. The non-Retina edition has only two cores and an Intel Core i5 processor. The 27-inch model easily beats both of these with its graphics processor options, too.

• Large high-resolution displays
• Highly configurable and upgradable
• Choose your own mouse and keyboard

• Not portable
• Still ships with slow HDD or Fusion Drives in lower-tier models
• Old design that might be changed in next update

The Mac mini is officially a desktop, but it's small enough that you could move it around easily. You wouldn't take it to class, and you couldn't do much with it once you got there, but when you need to move where you set up your work, its small size is convenient. And it belies just how powerful the tiny Mac for students can be.

You do have to buy a separate screen, keyboard, and mouse or trackpad, however. And while the entry-level version now comes with 256GB of SSD storage, that's still not excessive. When it came with 128GB SSD, it was essential to pay extra to get more and that's no longer true, but buying 512GB will make for a better, longer-lasting machine.

• Semi-portable in small casing
• Choose your own monitor, keyboard, and mouse
• Many ports

• High base model price while still needing all the peripherals
• 256GB at entry model is untenable
• Low powered processor options and no discrete graphics

If your coursework can be accomplished via a web app or you do not need any specific desktop-based applications, you may want to try an iPad for school. If you're using an iPad for schoolwork, you'll likely want a keyboard and trackpad as well, which does add to the overall cost.

Of course, there is also the option of buying the iPad as an add-on device and use it as a small note-taking tablet with Apple Pencil or as an extended display for your Mac with SideCar. However, should you decide to take advantage of the iPad, the device can significantly enhance any workflow.

As a reminder, the iPad can only run apps from the App Store, so you'll need to ensure you can perform your classwork from the iPad before purchasing the device.

The 10.2-inch iPad has a retina display and lacks some of the more pro-level features to drive the price down. It supports the first-generation Apple Pencil and Apple's Smart Keyboard. The current iPad has an A10 Fusion chip that is still supported by iPadOS and can easily run modern applications.

This is the perfect device for a young student just starting out, and Apple pushes this device for education markets. The base model has 32GB of storage for $329, but it is recommended you upgrade to the 128GB option for $100 more.

The iPad Air is Apple's best iPad that still has Touch ID. It has a laminated 10.5-inch display and supports the first-generation Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. Its A12 Bionic chip delivers a similar experience to what is found on the pro models, but in an older design.

You'll likely want the iPad Air if you don't want to spend more on the pro models or just want to use it as a secondary computer. The iPad Air starts at $499 with 64GB of storage, but as with the base iPad, it might be wise to upgrade the memory to the next tier. The 256GB model is $649.

The iPad mini is essentially the iPad Air crammed into a 7.9-inch display. There is no Smart Keyboard, but the first-generation Apple Pencil is compatible. The $399 price gets you 64GB, and upgrade to 256GB for $549. The A12 Bionic is used in this model and excels in the smaller display.

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The iPad mini is a versatile device. You can attach a keyboard and use it as a miniature computer, or carry it in your pocket with the Pencil and have a portable-digital notepad.

The iPad Pro is Apple's flagship tablet, and the company promotes it as a fully capable Mac alternative. You could use it as a second display or notepad like with the other models, but as these devices cost as much as a MacBook Air or Mac mini, you'll likely want it for more.

The A12Z Bionic, LiDAR camera and full-screen 120Hz display set the iPad Pro apart. Apple also offers a unique keyboard called the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, and it features scissor-switch keys and a trackpad on a thin-designed case. Combine this with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and you'll have a laptop/tablet combo that takes whatever shape you need on the fly.

The 11-inch iPad Pro is $799, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is $999 for 128GB of storage. This can be increased up to 1TB of storage in either for a $500 increase.

All iPad models can be configured with cellular for a $150 price increase at purchase.

Ultimately, the best Mac for students is dependent on each person's particular needs, including grade level, college major, learning environment (remote vs in-person) and budget. To all the students out there, we wish you the best of luck as you hit the books for the 2020-2021 school year.