6 head-to-heads
Machine against machine.
Written around the things that stay true — soldered memory, ports, upgrade paths, what the OS locks you into — rather than this quarter's benchmark numbers.
- MacBook AirvsDell XPS 13MacBook Air vs Dell XPS 13Two thin premium 13-inch laptops with the same problem — neither lets you upgrade the memory. The tiebreakers are battery, ports and the OS.HouseThe rounds this turns on lean Windows
- MacBook ProvsThinkPad X1 CarbonMacBook Pro vs ThinkPad X1 CarbonThe two default business laptops. One optimises for sustained performance and screen, the other for keyboard, serviceability and fleet management.HouseThe rounds this turns on split evenly
- Mac minivsMini PC (NUC-style)Mac mini vs a Windows mini PCThe one comparison where Apple is the value option at the entry point — until you need more memory than the base model has.HouseThe rounds this turns on lean Windows
- MacBook ProvsGaming laptopMacBook vs a gaming laptopNot really a comparison so much as a choice between two different machines that happen to share a shape.HouseThe rounds this turns on split evenly
- Mac StudiovsCustom desktop PCMac Studio vs a custom-built PCA sealed appliance against a machine you assemble. Both are legitimate; they just fail in completely different ways.HouseThe rounds this turns on lean Windows
- iMacvsAll-in-one PCiMac vs an all-in-one PCBoth trade upgradeability for a tidy desk. The iMac does it with a better screen; the PC does it with a touchscreen and more ports.HouseThe rounds this turns on lean Windows