What Macbook would be best?

A Macbook Air would be able to do all of that, but it's not going to be ideal for things like video editing. The point of an Air, or any similar windows based laptop (I use the dell xps 13) is portability and the ability to do most things. Photoshop won't be a problem, but if you're going to be routinely working on large projects with lots going on, it'll slow you down. Video editing will work for tinkering, but if you're trying to do 4k video with aftereffects open and photoshop open, your computer is going to cry. So you have decide what your computer will be doing, and if it's mostly going to be a mobile word processing and email device that can also do other things, definitely get the Air (the lightness is a godsend). If, however, you're thinking about doing some intensive work, go with the pro.

Unwillingadult said:

I am in desperate need of a new laptop, my current one is just a small notebook that is no longer suitable for my needs. I have never previously owned an Apple product other than an iPhone so I am not sure what one would be the best. I decided that I want to invest in one because a) I get a somewhat decent discount, and b) I have been using a pretty old one at my work and have found myself really enjoying it!

I am going on to study Journalism at university and plan to use the laptop for both university, work, and personal usage. What one would you recommend? Asides from day-to-day tasks such as emailing, word documents etc, I plan to use photoshop, video editing, a lot of photo downloading, and hopefully gaming as well.
Would a Macbook Air be suitable for this, or should I go for a Macbook or Macbook pro?

Figured to ask here because I figured that at least some of you would be using a Mac for similar purposes and would be able to offer some advice.

Thanks in advance.

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Go for a MacBook or MacBook pro.

Get the maximum amount of RAM that the laptop will support.

See if your school/uni offers discounts, or buy from the Apple Education store. Consider an Apple refurb; the have the same warranty and cost less.

Get AppleCare if you possibly can.

Unwillingadult said:

Thank you both that's great. Yeah I have MyUniDays which gets me up to 10% off. Yeah knowing my great reputation with laptops, definitely getting AppleCare. Leaning towards the Pro, just because if it turns out I do end up working on large projects, then it appears the Air might not be suitable for that, whereas with the Pro even if I don't end up routinely working on large projects, at least I know it shouldn't be an issue if I do.

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Do check the prices at the Apple Educational store online, and look at Refurbs; they're under the same warranty and you can get them covered with AppleCare.

I've been using MacBook Pros for the past 5 years at work.

My first one had 16GB of RAM and a spinny hard-drive.

The second one only has 8GB of RAM and a flash drive.

More RAM is better, all things being equal. But my second laptop with less RAM feels far more responsive. I'm not stressing the CPU of the thing much (no Photoshop), but I read & write large / many files, and 8GB of RAM with a flash drive is surprisingly capable. So if you must cut anything to stay within a budget, and are looking at the Pros, you could likely stay with the minimum RAM. Also, if you're looking at older refurbs, avoid anything with a conventional hard-drive; flash really is worth it.

I have no experience with the MacBook Air, but I expect that it's reason for existence is getting squeezed out by Apple's own MacBook (standard, not Pro) product. I'd be reluctant to pay its price premium for slightly less weight. The 15" MacBook Pro is heavier, but neither of them are "small tablet light" and I personally dislike a screen smaller than 15" for a computer (the Air comes with 11" or 13"). If you're okay with the smaller screen size, maybe look at the MacBook standard instead of the Air.