Want to try out a Mac

I'm new to Macs and want to try one out soon. I was thinking about wanting to get a notebook. What hardware do you recommend to start out with? This of course, needs to be capable of running the latest macOS operating system. I also plan on using it to host a virtual machine.

G'day and welcome to the forums.

The answer is easy. As much MacBook Pro laptop you can afford. If you need a used model and the pennies run to it, at least a 2013 MacBook Pro, size to suit yourself. Be aware late models have memory soldered to the motherboard, so there is no increasing the memory after purchase which would make me personally go for a 16GB model. They come in 8 and 16GB.

This model will have USB3 and pure Flash Storage and is available in 13" and 15" sizes.

You haven't given us anything to go on. Your budget and use for Mac will determine if we recommend the Macbook, 13" Macbook Pro or 15" Macbook Pro. Further beyond those 3 models, the specifics of how much RAM/CPU speed will also depend on your criteria..

Bottom line, buy the "best" computer you can afford..

Of course I will use it for browsing the internet and watching movies/videos, and then virtual machines.

Alpha_Flexer said:

Of course I will use it for browsing the internet and watching movies/videos, and then virtual machines.

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It would be helpful if you tell us what your budget is. If you don't mind buying a second-hand Mac, you might want to look at buying a refurbished Mac directly from Apple: you'll save some money and benefit from the same warranty offered on new Macs. Apple has a pretty rigorous refurbishment process.

When you say you're going to be using it to host a virtual machine, do you mean to act as a server, or to run applications designed for Windows or other operating systems? What kind of notebook you need, and the performance you require, also depends on what kind of applications you're going to run in the VM. Are they professional applications that use a lot of resources? This information makes a big difference between us recommending to you something like a MacBook versus a more powerful MacBook Pro.

Go into a store which stocks Apple products and try them for size. Your initial budget may say 13" but you prefer the 15". I have a 15" MBP and couldn't cope with anything smaller.

Another thing to bear in mind is that the newer MB/MBP models are devoid of a CD/DVD slot and multiple usb sockets so a refurb would be better if you have existing peripherals.

"Hosting a virtual machine" doesn't really help either.

I have a MacBook Air that I used to run a virtual Windows instance on specifically so I could use Microsoft Visio. It ran fine with ZERO lag and I never once felt like I needed the heavier and more expensive MacBook Pro.

Exactly what kind of virtual machine do you plan on running and what is its purpose?