Why I still prefer my Windows laptop even though I also have a MacBook Air

Even though I use a Windows laptop as my primary workstation, I still use a MacBook when I work away from home. But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be my Windows PC for the reasons I’ve listed below.

1 Better port selection

The number one reason I still prefer my Windows device over an Apple laptop is because it has a good number of ports. My 15-inch M2 MacBook Air only gives me two USB-C ports, a MagSafe charging port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. So if I need to connect a USB-A device and an HDMI monitor, I need a separate hub to make it work.

On the other hand, my Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop gives me a lot of options. It has a USB-C port, three USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Mini DisplayPort and an Ethernet port. It even has a Kensington security slot to secure the laptop on my desk.

While I could get the extra USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port, HDMI port, and SDXC card reader if I went with a 16-inch MacBook Pro, I didn’t want to spend another $1,000 on a backup device. More importantly, I’d still stick with a laptop with only 512GB of storage. For 2 TB of storage, Apple charges an additional $600.

There are other ways to expand my MacBook’s storage, but they aren’t as hassle-free and cost-effective as just putting a cheap SSD in my laptop.

2 Easier and cheaper to upgrade

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Apple’s silicone MacBooks are not user upgradeable. So you need to configure it for what you think you will need in the future unless you want to buy a brand new laptop a few years down the line. Adding more storage and memory to the base configuration is also much more expensive, as you can only configure it directly from Apple.

On the other hand, when I bought my Windows laptop, it only had a 512GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. Since I needed newer, faster storage, I replaced my 1TB HDD with a 1TB SATA SSD and added another 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD to an available unused slot. This gave me 2.5TB of fast storage on my laptop and I only spent about $150 to get it (as opposed to Apple’s $600 charge).

Thanks to the user upgradeability of my Windows laptop, I didn’t have to replace a perfectly working computer just to get more storage space. I’m actually planning on upgrading my Windows laptop RAM from 16GB to 32GB soon, which will cost me less than $200.

Looking at the current options for the 15-inch MacBook Air M3, Apple only offers a maximum of 24GB of unified memory, which costs $400 — more than double what I plan to spend — and I have to configure it before I buy.

3 Lots of apps to choose from

Although you can find Mac apps in the App Store and directly on developer websites, Windows computers generally have more options. This is expected because Windows is much more popular than macOS, so programmers are more motivated to create applications for the former.

For example, I use GnuCash as my primary accounting tool, and it’s not available on macOS. So I can only work on my finances when I’m on my Windows laptop. I can technically use a virtualization app to run Windows 11 on my Apple silicon Mac, but it’s an extra step I have to do, which is inconvenient.

4 Better for games

While Apple has been pushing macOS gaming lately, Windows is still way ahead in this department. This is because most AAA titles only run on Windows PC, so if you’re a gamer and only have a Mac, your options will be much more limited.

Even if you could install your favorite game, the anti-cheat software required for multiplayer matches can be a bit tricky. While some developers have come up with a way to make anti-cheat work on macOS, you may need to do some configuration to make it work properly.

5 Natively supports three monitors (or more)

This is the main disadvantage my MacBook Air has over a Windows laptop. While I can connect two external monitors to my 15-inch MacBook Air, I’ll have to leave the lid closed for this setup.

My solution was to use my MacBook’s built-in Air display, a 15-inch portable external monitor, and then my 13-inch iPad Air as a third screen. However, this could be an expensive solution if you’re buying an iPad just to use it as another external screen for your MacBook Air.

I ended up getting a DisplayLink hub for just over $200, which allowed me to run three external monitors and use the built-in display. Sure, I could have bought an M3 Max MacBook Pro, but that would have cost me at least $3,200.

On the other hand, my Acer Predator Helios 300 natively supports up to two external monitors – one via HDMI and the other via Mini DisplayPort. I bought an MST hub for less than $100 and can now run four external displays (three via MST and one via HDMI) in addition to the built-in Windows laptop screen.

My MacBook Air has several advantages, such as a thin and light profile, seamless connectivity with my iPhone and iPad, and amazing battery life. However, this still isn’t enough to make me want to replace my Windows laptop as my primary workstation.