Browse Desktop Reviews

Browse Desktop Reviews

Review: 27-inch Core i5 iMac (with Core i7 option)
The wait is over: The 27-inch Core i5 (and Core i7) iMacs have arrived. We've tested the new quad core iMacs, and it was worth the wait.
Review: Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server
The new $999 Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is a fantastic product for workgroups, small businesses, and even schools to use.
Speedmark 6: Macworld Lab's new benchmark suite
The Macworld Lab has been hard at work tweaking Speedmark, our overall system performance testing tool, to better accommodate Snow Leopard and to test the Macs on which it runs.
Review: 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs (Late 2009)
The Late 2009 iMacs are really about the new displays—and the displays are impressive.
iMac (Late 2009) benchmarks
Macworld Lab has the new iMacs and we’ve put them to the test.
Review: Mac mini (Late 2009)
Just seven months after giving the Mac mini line its biggest update ever, Apple has bumped the performance of the company's smallest desktop computers. While the improvements are modest, the latest Mac minis address a few of our biggest criticisms of the Early 2009 models.
Mac mini (Late 2009) benchmarks
Macworld Lab has the Mac minis, and we put them through our benchmark tests. Our result show that the new Mac minis are impressively faster than the models they replace.
Bluelounge CableDrop
Tired of losing your unconnected cables behind your desk, or trying to keep track of which cable goes where? Bluelounge's CableDrops may be the solution.
Review: NoteBook 3.0
Circus Ponies NoteBook 3.0 is a terrific notetaking program bursting with useful ways to organize your life.
Benchmarks: 2.93GHz Xeon-based Mac Pros
Macworld Lab tested a couple of different Mac Pro configure-to-order systems and the results include our first Speedmark 5 score to top 400.
Review: Quad-Core and Eight-Core Mac Pros (2009 editions)
With its improved graphics, memory bandwidth, and reduced memory latency, the 2.66GHz quad-core Mac Pro was faster than the 2.8GHz eight-core Mac Pro, and at $2,499 costs $300 less. It would be a fine purchase for anyone replacing an older Mac or buying a new one for the first time.
Review: 20- and 24-inch Aluminum iMacs (Early 2009)
The iMac continues to be a desktop Mac that’s powerful enough to please both general consumers and professionals. Which one you prefer depends on how much screen real estate, graphics, and gaming power you need.
Lab results: New iMacs show speed boost
We have benchmark results on the four new iMacs. The speed improvements over the iMacs released in April 2008 are significant, and there are also some interesting performance observations between the new iMac models.
Review: Mac mini (Early 2009)
The new Mac mini models provide the most significant upgrades to the line yet, offering slightly better CPU performance, considerably improved video capabilities, increased expandability, and better wireless technology. The result is that for the first time, the Mac mini is a computer that’s truly capable of handling the iLife suite.
Review: iWeb ’09
iWeb ’09 is an excellent program for anyone wanting a personal Web site to share stories, photos, home movies, videos, podcasts, and blogs. Its improved uploading capabilities, easy-to-use widgets, and more straightforward interface will be worth the price of the upgrade.
Review: FreeMind 0.8.1
Looking for a mind mapping application that packs a powerful punch, takes it easy on your wallet, and is a dream to use, even for a novice? FreeMind 0.8.1 will get you two-thirds of the way there.
Review: Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router
Linksys has tried to improve the WRT610N and make it easier for Mac users to work with. But it has not succeeded. All the problems found could be solved through firmware updates to fix obvious bugs, and better packaging and explanation of its software.
Review: BusySync 2.1.6
If you want family members or colleagues to see and edit your iCal calendars, BusyMac’s BusySync 2.1.6 may be just the tool you need. It syncs calendars among Macs (with the same or different users), among user accounts on a given Mac, and between your Mac and Google Calendar—in any combination.
Review: 20- and 24-Inch Aluminum iMacs (2008 Edition)
Apple's new crop of iMacs get a speed bump.
Review: Mac Pro Eight-Core 2.8GHz
If you simply want the fastest Mac you’ve ever used, the base-model Mac Pro Eight-Core 2.8GHz won’t disappoint. If, however, you don’t need the maximum Mac, stick to an iMac—they’re plenty powerful for the rest of us.
Review: Mac mini makes impressive gains, stays small
The latest Mac mini models have made some impressive gains in terms of performance, without gaining bulk or higher price tags. Still a great bargain, especially for those who already own a mouse, keyboard, and display, the Mac mini’s size and price allow it to fit into spaces and budgets that other Macs cannot.
20- and 24-inch Aluminum iMacs
With large displays, room for a lot of internal storage and RAM, and a striking new design, the latest iMacs are a nice step forward -- and a good value to boot. Performance gains are minimal over the last Core 2 Duo iMacs, but as computers that straddle the line between consumer and professional systems, they give enough to people on both ends of the spectrum to be worth serious consideration.
Mac Pro 3GHz 8-core
If time is money, upgrading to a Mac Pro from the last generation of PowerPC-based Mac towers probably makes good financial sense. But the eight-core 3GHz Mac Pro showed only very modest improvements in the majority of our testing over a standard configuration Mac Pro.
Review: New Mac minis get speed boost
Both of these new Mac mini models are good values, and Apple made an excellent choice in dropping the underpowered Core Solo-based model--the last single-core Mac in Apple's product line. As a budget Mac, a supplemental home computer, a server, or a home media set-top box, the Mac mini's price and size make it an impressively versatile system.
Review: 24-inch iMac powerhouse
The 24-inch iMac occupies the vast stretch between the standard iMac and the Mac Pro. If you're looking for the ultimate iMac with a taste of the pro-level features the Mac Pro provides, you'll find the 24-inch iMac to be the perfect middle ground.
Review: New iMac Core 2 Duo lineup
If you want a low-cost iMac to have around the house for everyday use, the 1.83GHz iMac is a nice system for the price. It also makes for an appealing system for many students, who can buy one for the same $899 price as the education iMac.
Mac Pro completes Apple's Intel lineup
The Mac Pro gives professional Mac users more processor power, storage options, and external ports than the previous Power Mac line. But these new systems aren't for everyone. If you don't run high-end professional applications and don't truly need a huge amount of internal storage or access to PCI Express slots, you might find that the remarkably powerful 20-inch iMac Core Duo is a much better value.
iMac Education Configuration
For the most part, the features that Apple removed from the standard iMac to make this one more affordable are good choices given the target market. For schools that can live with that potentially extra expense, the $899 iMac Education Configuration should be hard to pass up.
Intel-based Mac minis
The first Intel-based Mac minis come with significantly upgrade features, home-entertainment capabilities... and a higher price compared to their G4-based predecessors. Do the changes to the Mac mini make it a worthwhile upgrade?
Core Duo iMacs debut speedy new chips
What’s an Intel chip doing in an iMac? Almost exactly the same things PowerPC chips do in older models—just faster on some tasks and, for now, slower on others. Anyone with a recently revved iMac won’t have much reason to rush out and buy an iMac Core Duo—you won’t find the computing experience all that different from newer models. But for other users getting by with older machines, there’s no reason to hesitate: these Intel-based iMacs are already great computers, and they’ll only get better.