Apple’s Mac computers have never had a reputation for their gaming abilities. But that was when Apple was using third-party graphics processors.
Its newer Macs however are powered by Apple’s own custom-made M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets. Apple markets them as the most powerful laptops they’ve ever made, but they never mention gaming. Instead, they describe them as ideal for vigorous content creation.
Even so, you have to wonder if Apple’s own M1 Pro and M1 Max graphics processors can handle AAA games. So let’s find out.
Can M1 Chips Attract Game Developers?
So far game developers have pretty much-overlooked macOS as a platform for their games. Instead, they’ve centered their attention around Windows and gaming consoles.
With this in mind, it’s worth noting that even if the M1 chips are powerful enough to handle AAA games, you will have a limited selection of them. Make sure to check our website to find out more about what current and upcoming game releases are macOS-friendly.
Whether the M1 chips can handle heavy-duty gaming is extremely important not just to gamers, but also to game developers. If they prove worthy enough, they could pave the way for a much more extensive list of AAA games on macOS.
Because the M1 chips are new, most game programmers have not yet had the chance to consider them within their coding. But if they make Macs interesting for gamers, it could certainly turn the tide.
M1 Chips And Their Gaming Power
Most of the games that are developed for laptops are focused around Intel CPU, not around Apple’s ARM. PCMag ran an interesting test to find out how the M1 Chips-powered Macbooks compare to the gaming-developed, Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 powered, Razer Blade 15 Advanced laptop Edition.
First of all, the benchmark of a laptop’s gaming capabilities is set by its Frame Per Second (FPS) speed. The more frames you can get per second, the smoother and more flawless your gaming experience will be.
The test run by PCMag looked at a couple of AAA games. First up was the Hitman 2016 game. While it is an older game title, it does require loads of resources to give you an enjoyable gaming experience.
In ultra-settings, the 2016 Hitman game scored 104 fps on its M1 Pro 16 core GPU chipset. The M1 Max chipsets that have 32 core GPU, scored 106 fps. Meanwhile, the Intel CPU-powered Razer Blade managed 103 fps.
The next game that was tested was the Rise of the Tomb Raider. This is a much more resource-demanding game than the 2016 Hitman. The M1 Pro chipsets managed 76fps, while M1 Max got 116fps. On the other hand, the Razor Blade’s laptop got 114fps.
What Do These Results Mean?
First off, what stands out the most is the discrepancy between the M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets’ performance. While different game titles perform differently even on Windows-based laptops, the frames per second discrepancy are much less noticeable.
The M1 Max chips seem to handle resource-demanding AAA games much better than the M1 Pro chips. But what exactly do these fps scores mean for the M1 chipsets and why are they relevant for gamers?
Based on these test results alone, the M1 chipsets keep up and even perform better than the Windows graphics processors. The M1 Pro does fall far behind the M1 Max chips as the games get more demanding. But the M1 Max chipsets consistently performed on par and above with Windows-powered CPUs.
The results show gaming potential for Macbooks that use M1 chips. Even though they are not designed for gaming, they certainly handle it quite well!
The newer Macbooks with M1 chips are by far the most powerful gaming devices Apple has released so far! And keep in mind that they are meant for heavy-duty content creation, not gaming. So if Apple were to release an entirely gaming-focused Macbook, the sky’s the limit.
The M1 chip’s performance in handling AAA games is encouraging news for gamers who are fans of Apple. But it may not be enough to turn the tide and attract a whole new provision of games and gamers onto Macbooks.
As stated before, the top game providers prefer to concentrate on Windows and gaming consoles over macOS. There is a much more extensive user base of gamers on these platforms. Also, the M1 chips are quite new so programmers would have to spend time and effort on learning a new coding technique to best maximize their potential. It may not be worth their time in the end.
After All This – Macs are Better Suited for Occasional Gaming
We are not saying this because Macs aren’t powerful, but simply because macs are targeting different types of tasks – a creative professional. Maybe even one who will design the games, however, due to the fact that pro-gamers need a native software environment for the games to run optimally, most of them will stick with the PC. Apple might be a powerhouse in mobile gaming where the platform on the iPhone just blows everyone out of the water, however, when it comes to games, Macs will remain to be used for simpler games, casinos, and social games run from the browser. If you want to make a neosurf 10 euro deposit and spin some online slots while waiting for (now much faster) rendering of your video projects on the new Macbook Pros, you might find it to be a good fit. These chips are super fast and your gambling addiction might not take a root, which is another socially acceptable way new technologies bring us forward.
Conclusion
Apple’s new M1 chips are surprisingly good at handling AAA games. But don’t go rushing to get one just for gaming because you will be disappointed!
While the M1 chips make Macs interesting for gamers, they do have two major drawbacks:
- They are expensive – an M1 Pro Macbook costs over $2,000 while an M1 Max Mac will cost you over $3,000. This is much more expensive than a Windows laptop designed specifically for gaming.
- Limited selection of games – ironically, even if the Macbooks using M1 chips can flawlessly handle the most vigorous, resource-demanding games out there, you don’t really have that to choose from. There is a very limited selection of AAA games available on macOS compared to Windows or game consoles.
This is not to take away any credit from the M1 chips. They are extremely impressive and thanks to them, Apple was able to release its most powerful Macbooks ever! But they are simply not designed for gamers now.
