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Mac used for gaming: The pros and cons of gaming on a Mac vs a PC



Apple's lineup of computers includes the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, and all-in-one iMac desktop. These computers are all powerhouse machines that are designed to handle large applications running simultaneously with smooth performance and high-quality graphics, all wrapped up in a sleek and compact design. While these features make Macs a top-notch choice for all types of users from creative hobbyists to professionals for a high-powered work computer, they tend to fall somewhat short in their gaming performance. Macs make excellent computers from a professional standpoint and are great for productivity, but they simply aren't designed to be gaming computers.


Fortunately, there is a fairly simple workaround that can allow users to enjoy the best of both worlds by operating a Mac for its excellent features, while also being able to run any Windows-compatible PC game right from their Mac computer. Installing the Parallels software makes it simple and easy for Mac users to run Windows applications from their computer side-by-side with macOS programs. Whether you're running games from Steam, individual game clients, or another game library, with Parallels you can enjoy the huge variety of games and smooth gaming experience of a PC while continuing to use your Mac computer. This can create a seamless and enjoyable experience for users who want the versatility of operating both Mac and Windows at the same time and for different purposes to gain the benefits of both platforms.




Mac Used For Gaming




There's no doubt that Mac computers encompass a powerful technology that makes them excellent computers for professionals and creatives alike. However, users who want to use their Mac for gaming after they've wrapped up work for the day are likely to become frustrated with the limitations their Mac has in both overall gaming performance and the narrow selection of games that are available to them. Rather than opting for a pricey second computer that can be dedicated solely to gaming, utilizing a program like Parallels provides a convenient alternative that allows Mac users to operate Windows programs on their computer seamlessly. Enjoy the best of both operating systems by using Parallels to run them smoothly side-by-side.


This is just a general warning to pretty much avoid all MacBook Air computers, as their GPU power is pretty low. If you are a hardcore gamer, be sure to avoid this line of famous Macs for your gaming needs.


A graduate of Penn State University and a Philadelphia native, Bryan has been a gamer since day one. Using his vast experience of gaming, game culture, and all things tech, Bryan aims to deliver the most up-to-date and captivating game design content to readers.


One of the things that has struck me the most about the current state of PC gaming in the past few years is how a once exclusive hobby-by-choice has increasingly become an exclusive hobby-by-attrition.


But for many years now, console gaming has shifted to become the primary platform for AAA gaming, largely because too many gamers are being priced out of PC gaming by the shocking cost of the required hardware. The Nvidia RTX 3080 Founders Edition costs $699 / 649 / AU$1,139 at MSRP, which is enough money for a gamer to buy a PS5 or XBox Series X S and a cheap 4K TV to play it on.


It might not be the face-melting 8K graphics teased by Nvidia for the RTX 3090, but at roughly double the price of the RTX 3080 Founders Edition, most gamers have long given up on experiencing 8K gaming on their PC.


This has shifted the way game developers are starting to approach the games they make. As more players migrate to next-gen consoles over gaming PCs, developers are realizing the benefit of targeting console development over the various configurations of high-end gaming PCs that exist on the market, and console gaming is now powerful enough to deliver PC gaming-like experiences at a much cheaper cost.


With every new hardware generation adding a dozen or more additional components to account for, the cost of PC development grows, creating a diseconomy of scale for Windows PCs from which there is no easy way out from a business perspective, other than to cut bait and raise the minimum system requirements that a game will support, further locking out players from the PC gaming experience.


Meanwhile, as the price of PC gaming components continues to soar and more and more gamers move away from the traditional gaming rig out of necessity, the platform incentives for game developers are going to continue to shift away from high-end PC builds. Both the financial and practical incentives all point toward more predictable and simpler console configurations that allow for more time spent on optimization, rather than providing the broadest base of support possible.


They're also more powerful, in my experience with them, and this means that there are a lot of everyday consumers who are picking up the M1 MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro and don't really realize the gaming potential of the laptop in their hands.


The developers at CCP Games have been more receptive than most to Mac gaming and Mac game development, and not without reason. When I attended EVE Online Fan Fest 2022 earlier this year to research a forthcoming feature, just the mention of the native Mac client for EVE Online got a surprisingly loud and positive response from the keynote crowd. In fact, at least to my ear, it was second only to the near rapturous response to CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson's confirming that EVE Online would not be introducing NFTs to the game.


"I believe the hardware is there," Hunter said. "It comes down more to the marrying of the hardware and software and having had the opportunity to work very closely with the [Apple] Metal team, we got a glimpse into the direction that it's going and after WWDC 2022, you can of see that Metal is coming up to par with modern graphics API's. That has built a lot of trust and faith, at least on my part in terms of where gaming is going on the Mac side of things, and I think it's actually a very exciting opportunity."


For the first 20 to 30 years of personal computing being a thing, Apple played an essential role in the development of PC gaming itself. It was the platform for some of the greatest games of the era, including being the exclusive first home of Myst, which reigned over the 1990s as the best-selling PC game of the era until it was dethroned by The Sims 2 in the early 2000s. It was also the original platform for a little game called Halo, before Microsoft swept in and swiped Bungie from Apple.


And while we might be a ways away from Apple M-series chips reaching their full potential as a rival to more traditional consoles like the PS5, the fact that Apple has zeroed in and is positioning itself for this trend shows it recognizes that the future of gaming is going to continue to move away from high-end gaming rigs and meet the gaming public where it actually is.


The Apple team says its seen a substantial uptick in developer interest since WWDC, especially around Metal 3 and MetalFX Upscaling, but there is still a ways to go before Apple will truly compete against the Windows PC as a PC gaming platform. At this point though, the writing is on the wall, and it's only a matter of time before there is a must-play Mac exclusive that will upend the entire conversation around PC gaming.


John (He\/Him) is the US Computing Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY. \n\nNamed by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.\n\nYou can find him online on Twitter at @thisdotjohn\n\nCurrently playing: The Last Stand: Aftermath, Cartel Tycoon"}; var triggerHydrate = function() window.sliceComponents.authorBio.hydrate(data, componentContainer); var triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate = function() var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = ' -8-2/authorBio.js'; script.async = true; script.id = 'vanilla-slice-authorBio-component-script'; script.onload = () => window.sliceComponents.authorBio = authorBio; triggerHydrate(); ; document.head.append(script); if (window.lazyObserveElement) window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate); else triggerHydrate(); } }).catch(err => console.log('Hydration Script has failed for authorBio Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.log('Externals script failed to load', err));John LoefflerSocial Links NavigationComputing EditorJohn (He/Him) is the US Computing Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.


Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.


In a previous version of this article, pre-M1, we talked about how the Mac gaming scene had picked up since Macs started to use the same Intel processors as Windows PCs (back in 2007). The strong sales of Macs in recent years also helped encourage developers to make more A-List games available on the Mac than ever before. Just check out our roundup of the best Mac games for some of the highlights.


In the pre-M1 days the Mac also has a cunning trick up its precision-engineered sleeve in the form of Boot Camp. Installing Windows via Boot Camp means it is possible to play Windows games on an Intel-based Mac. Alternatively, Parallels or VMware might have been considered options for PC gaming on a Mac.


A fast storage system will also help to improve gaming performance so you would want to avoid a hard drive. Luckily Apple no longer sells any Macs with hard drives or the Fusion drive that combined a hard drive and flash storage (but look out for that if you are buying a refurbished Mac or a second hand Mac). 2ff7e9595c


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