PatzerKing wrote on 07/09/25 at 17:21:39:

I read a book that suggested the average person needs three Cs: credit, computer, car. At some point everybody here is going to need a new computer. How long can your current computer last? 10 years? 20 years? 30 years? Anyway, this question is perennial.

An undated article Best (sic) Windows Laptop vs MacBook Pro for Students and Professionals
https://laptopvoyager.com/best-windows-laptop-vs-macbook-pro/
I didn't take the article's word that the suggested Dell is a suitable comparison to the MacBook Pro. So I substituted a better and 25% more expensive Dell that PCWorld suggested. 
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2507749/dell-inspiron-14-review.html
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2277005/dell-inspiron-14-plus-review.html

1. 2025 Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (Intel Core Ultra 7 16 GB 1TB SSD)
   $1049 on amazon.com today
2. 2023 Apple MacBook Pro (14.2″ M3 16GB 1TB SSD)
   $2035 lowest of two options on amazon.com today

I have no doubt The MacBook Pro will still be superior to the Dell, sometimes far superior, in every category except two.

First category where the MacBook is worse. Price

Sure, sure the MacBook is better, so much better, you wouldn't believe how much better until you try it. But is it twice as good? That's a little harder to say. And if your typical MacBook lasts 10 years, then you can upgrade the Windows laptop every 5 years for roughly the same money. So the true comparison is not between the M3 and the 2025 Dell, but between the M3 and the average of the 2025 Dell and the 2030 Dell.

Another point in favor of a Windows laptop, not specific to the Dell, is the ability to find deals. Speaking from the USA vantage, my favorite time to shop for a computer is October or November, when the back-to-school crowd is done buying, and the retailers and manufacturers are slashing prices on inventory so they can refresh their stock for Christmas. My 2024 laptop (December 2023 actually) had a list price of $2100 in January, a sale price of $1500 in July, and I purchased it on clearance from the manufacturer for $800 in late October, free shipping. That simply doesn't happen with Apple computers.

Second category where the MacBook is worse. ChessBase

In my view the software you need to run dictates both the OS and the hardware.

• Writing emails and looking at cat videos? 
  ==> Chromebook.
• Editing movies? 
  ==> High-end Mac. 
• Playing games and streaming? 
  ==> Desktop Windows. 
• Using ChessBase and Stockfish and traveling to tournaments? 
  ==> Laptop Windows.

Yes, I know there are options for running ChessBase on the Mac. But if it were not worse, Mac users would not be lamenting that ChessBase doesn't have a Mac version. This is where the worse really might cost you in Elo. Running Windows 11 is a resource hog even by itself, never mind in virtualization. Now your mighty Stockfish engine is starved for CPU and memory and cache, because the Mac is running two operating systems at once.

For most people that's the final word. There is still the Linux option to consider, or a second computer, remote engines, etc. But these are all niche, the equivalent of playing unorthodox openings. Most people should pick from the short list. For the average chess player, there is only one practical choice.

There is a final, final word though. People who really love the Mac will look at all of the above and say, "I don't care. I'm still getting a Mac." Good on you. The world needs freedom of choice. Go for it.

PatzerKing wrote on 07/09/25 at 17:21:39:

I don't know what is "copy of single variations", but for player search I use these:

• https://players.chessbase.com/en/directory/A
• https://www.chessgames.com/directory/A.html
• https://www.365chess.com/
• http://www.edochess.ca/Edo.players.html

For players I wouldn't want to rely on ChessBase alone. For example, under my name they have someone else's picture and many of the games are not mine. I sent them a good picture about 20 years ago, but no effect. (shrug) The information on German players is perfect, though.

ChessBase marketing makes a big deal about all the functions you can do "with a single click". It annoys me no end because (a) they can't count, it always takes several clicks; and (b) the clicky function does something "interesting" but not what I wanted.

So for copying variations I just use a PGN based GUI. Tarrasch Chess GUI is the best for editing a PGN game, and Scid is excellent as well, although the function is misleadingly called Paste Clipboard text as PGN game.... Or if you mean copy a variation from the engine into the game then just about every GUI has this. And if the GUI doesn't give me what I want, then I always have a text editor open anyway. But in ChessBase that's still a problem to get the edited PGN back into the original game. There is a way, but marketing doesn't want to write about that saga.

By the way, have you considered HIARCS Chess Explorer? 
https://www.hiarcs.com/mac-chess-software.html#compare
Read the fine print though: "Apple Silicon under Rosetta2". And it probably won't solve any fan spinning problem.

HCE is a seriously good product. I loved it on the Mac. I would choose it over ChessBase as a daily driver (*) if I were on Windows. And I really, really wish they had a Linux version, but I'm not holding my breath. Scid is good but HIARCS is better, especially with the improvements in the Pro version.

---

(*) To be real ChessBase is indispensable because some data is only available in .CBH or .CBV format. And I have CB10 (fine for my needs) under wine available for some tasks, CB Reader on the Windows partition for the occasional DVD. Even on the Mac I had CB10 under CrossOver handy. But ChessBase is far from the only software in town.

Hi,

I like to ask if there is any experience with Chessbase via Parallels on Macbooks with M3/M4 processors.
Does anybody use a Macbook with M3/M4 ARM processor with Chessabse via Parallels and if yes which versions you are using:
Chessbase: ?
Macbook: Pro/Air
Parallels: ?

I am especially worried due to the M-processors, currently I am running Chessbase via Parallels on Intel CPU on my 10-year old Macbook Pro.
How is the experience? Is Chessbase running stable and is the laptop getting very hot when Chess Engine (e.g. Stockfish,…) is started?

Thanks for your feedback.