Did the new MacBook Pro finally become a gaming PC?

Life Hacker [Japanese version] Reprinted from the article published on November 26, 2021

As everyone knows, not many people buy a Mac for the game purpose.

Of course, you can play games on a Mac, but only those who choose Apple only for games will play Apple Arcade.

But was the new MacBook Pro, which has a strong chipset such as M1 Pro and M1 MAX, finally became one of the options for game -only aircraft?

Why is Mac suitable for game consoles?

It's a very difficult question, but let's solve it as well as possible and simply explain it.

In short, Mac hardware is not designed in consideration of the best gaming situations.Most Macs have a streamlined, thin and elegant design.

This makes it not only look good, but also can handle all tasks.Games are just one of those tasks.

There is no problem with a light game, but many games do not work well without the optimal hardware.

A graphic card is required to process games with a large amount of calculation, and a cooling system is required to avoid overheating.

Most Macs do not have these functions.

In the first place, many games are not for Mac

But the problem is not only hardware.Many game companies often do not make games for Macs.

Therefore, there are many Windows limited games.It is possible to install Windows on a Mac with software such as BootCamp and Parallels, but it cannot provide optimal experience.

Therefore, even a Mac with a lot of graphic hardware occurs.

Game companies know that the Mac game market is limited, so they don't have resources to improve the experience there or provide solutions to such machines.

What is M1 MacBook?

Last year, Apple announced the company's first silicon chip "M1" and attracted attention.

It is an extremely highly efficient chip equipped with a fantastic CPU.As a result, a MacBook Air, which costs about 100,000 yen, can be changed into a stable video editor using Final Cut Pro.

If you dare to criticize M1, is it a lack of graphics?

Although the graphics of M1 are not so bad (7 or 8 cores can be selected by Mac), it is not the best option for tasks with large graphics.

And unfortunately, the game is included in such tasks.

Meanwhile, M1 Pro and M1 MAX are increasing their expectations because their graphics are enhanced while maintaining the high efficiency of M1.So how do you play an active part in the actual usage scene?

What is the performance of M1 Pro and M1 MAX MacBook Pro?

According to the data on hand, it seems to be quite expected.

My favorite research is by MRMACRIGHT, conducting M1 MAX and M1 Pro testing and comparing both (comparison with M1, but as mentioned above, M1 is suitable for games.Not).

He plays 25 games in the M1 Max test, and 15 games in the M1 Pro test.

One time (app for MacOS) is native, sometimes using parallels or crossover 21 (software for running Windows on a Mac), and sometimes Rosetta 2 (run the Intel app.I am testing using emulation software).

MRMACRIGHT's video introduces not only the performance and settings of each game in an easy -to -understand manner, but also the optimal graphic setting for each game.

He does not recommend very advanced settings in either M1 MAX and M1 Pro.In other words, it seems better to think that these MacBook Pro is located in the midrange instead of a high end as a gaming PC.

Isn't Windows game still for Mac?

When playing with the 1080p or 1440p settings, the following games were achieved, such as 40-60fps for M1 Pro and 60-100fps for M1 MAX.

・ Metro EXODUS

・ Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

・ The Witcher 3

On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the performance of M1 Max and M1 Pro in games optimized for Apple's CPU, such as Baldur's Gate 3.These cases will be a very good indicator for knowing the gaming ability of M1 MAX and M1 Pro.

When playing Windows games such as Overwatch using Parallels, there is no problem with any graphic settings, but it seems that it is not comfortable for flattering, causing the frame rate to be a problem.

In addition, in the case of games such as GTA V, it is difficult to reach an average of 30 fps even if it is 1080p, and it does not work very well.

For such games, try a solution such as Crossover.CROSSOVER is not an emulator like Parallels, so the performance of the game should be improved.

According to MRMACRIGHT, GTA V recorded nearly 60fps at 1080p.This is a great improvement compared to Parallels.

PCMag has also been testing several tests, leaving promising results on MacBook Pro.

The following five games have been tested.

・ Hitman (2016)

・ Tomb Raider

・ Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

・ TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER II

・ Civilization VI

These games have a variety of performances, from low -required performance to expensive, so the test results give a series of spectrums.

In the composition of PCMag (more high -spec), the overall performance was obtained.

In games that require high performance, some depressions can be seen, and although we may not be able to match the PC dedicated to gaming, we show that MacBook Pro shows a good fight, and in both high and low graphic settings, the average is over 100 fps.I kept my condition.

M1 Pro and M1 MAX require optimized games

The true test for these MacBook Pro is whether the game company will spend time on development.

You can run as many games as it is, but in order to make the most of the hardware, the game company needs to develop software according to those chips.

It is true that there are native games for Mac, but not mainstream.

Many games cannot be played unless they use non -perfect solutions, such as Rosetta 2, Parallels, and Crossover.

In that case, it is impossible to use the chip potential.

It may be Apple's achievements for many games itself, but it is hard to say that these PCs will bring the best gaming experience in the future unless the game is created for M1 Pro and M1 MAX.。

Still, the atmosphere of Mac gamers and others is excited.In the "R/MacGaming" on the bulletin board site, the number of posts has been decorated in various configurations in accordance with the idea that game companies may develop the best game for the latest MacBook Pro.。

The possibilities have been suggested by the already performed tests.So for you who want to enjoy the game on a Mac, M1 Pro and M1 MAX are not a bad choice.

After all, the more gamers who use those machines, the more game companies will develop games optimized for Apple silicon.

Source: MRMACRIGHT/YouTube (1, 2, 3), PCMag, Reddit