5 reasons to buy a desktop Mac over a MacBook

A MacBook may be the attractive, portable option, but a desktop Mac has benefits too.

- By Brittany Vincent

Whether you're making the jump into the Apple ecosystem or updating from an older machine, picking up a new Mac can be a great way to supercharge your productivity. How do you decide which type of Mac is right for you? With so many options to choose from, as well as different types of Macs, finding one that fits your setup and delivers everything you need can be tricky.

If you're going to pick up a new Mac, then going with a desktop Mac can have some distinct advantages over Apple's portable MacBook options. Don't get us wrong, all of these machines are perfectly capable of doing what you need them to do, but there are some places where the desktop Macs shine brighter than the MacBooks. As such, here are five great reasons to choose a desktop Mac over a MacBook the next time you upgrade.

1. PORTS AND EXPANDABILITY

One of the biggest benefits of buying a desktop Mac over a MacBook is that desktop Macs tend to have more options for expandability. While the newest MacBook Pros have more ports than they've had in many years-three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, HDMI, and an SDXC card slot-it's still a far cry from what you get with the Mac mini (two USB-A ports) and Mac Studio (up to six Thunderbolt 4 ports and two USB-A ports), and even the 24-inch iMac has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports and two USB 3 ports. An extra port might not seem like much, but it allows you to connect even more external devices-hard drives, keyboards, and other things you might need for your daily work-without hubs and dongles.