Can a MacBook Pro be used for gaming? There may not be a simple yes or no answer to this question.
Most games are done on a PC, but is it possible to do the same on an Apple computer? A MacBook Pro was never designed to be used as a gaming laptop, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t handle gaming. Specifically, the 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro would be best suited for this. So, how good are the games on a MacBook Pro? For casual players, this is not bad at all.
Playing on a MacBook Pro
If you are going to play on your Apple MacBook Pro, you will get the screen with the largest screen you can afford. In addition, give preference to models based on M1 Pro or M1 Max over Intel models. Or you can wait for Apple to put the M1 Ultra processor on their laptops.
Of all the MacBook Pro ranges currently on the market, the MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has the highest configuration and is faster than the Playstation 5 (5.5 GB/sec). In other words, this notepad can perform graphics-intensive tasks and should allow you to play your favorite games in between.
Display
For games, the rule is simple: the larger the screen, the better. The 16-inch MacBook Pro comes with a 3456 x 2234 pixel Liquid Retina XDR display with promotional technology and adaptive refresh rates up to 120 Hz. This means that the screen is more than enough for playing games.
The promotion function with adaptive synchronization allows the screen to adjust the refresh rate to display new images only when the GPU is ready to broadcast them. This technology is widely used in the computer and gaming market to eliminate unsightly screen cracks and provide smoother motion visuals.
In addition, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 is capable of 1000 nits of sustained brightness and 1600 nits of maximum brightness in HDR content. In other words, the screen is brighter than most gaming monitors and provides a tear-free gaming experience.
Other Alternatives
If you can’t afford the 16-inch model, the new MacBook Pro 14 is your second best option. True, a smaller screen can and will affect your gaming experience, but it will also save you a lot of money. In addition, a 14-inch laptop is much more portable for work, travel and other things. And it has almost all the capabilities of a larger MacBook Pro, because it is packed with high-end Apple hardware. The important thing here is to choose the configuration with the most RAM and storage, because, as you probably already know, there is no way to update these items after. Therefore, the ideal choice for gaming is the MacBook Pro 14 with Apple M1 Pro 10-core processor, with at least 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage. This configuration will cost less than the comparable version of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
MacBook Pro and the gaming industry
At 4.7 pounds, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is quite heavy, making it a challenge to carry. Even so, it still fits comfortably in your backpack.
But in addition to the high-performance hardware, you still need the gaming software, which can be a problem. Apple’s move from the 64-bit Intel x86 architecture to its own ARM-based Apple silicon has complicated things for gamers. With the exception of World of Warcraft and a few indie games, most big-budget developers have never offered games for the Mac. So at this point, getting native games for Apple is a struggle. Why is that? As mentioned earlier, Apple rarely upgrades its hardware and highly controlled ecosystem. Thus, Mac games released before 2020 may never receive native Apple Silicon versions. And here’s the dilemma: you have the best hardware, but your favorite game still won’t work.
Mobile gaming aside, Windows is still the gaming platform of choice for non-console gamers, and the higher refresh rate of the MacBook Pro 2021 alone won’t change that. Yet.
The cost of gaming on a MacBook Pro
Suppose you want to buy a MackBook Pro 16 for gaming. First of all, get ready to save at least. Still, if you get enough memory and storage (both are on board), the price will cost up to. And that’s a lot of money for a laptop that probably doesn’t even run the recent titles. But there is an alternative: download boot camp on your MacBook Pro to enjoy the native gaming performance of Windows. Finally, it would probably make more sense to buy an Xbox, or a PlayStation 5, and an inexpensive PC laptop to enjoy the fantastic performance and save money.
Statement
The MacBook Pro is perhaps an excellent laptop with high-end components, irreplaceable even for some creative professionals. Unfortunately, Mac’s high-end hardware is not made for playing hardcore games. And since Apple has switched from Intel architecture to Apple silicon, you won’t have access to most native titles anyway. So, finally, if you take into account the high cost of a MacBook Pro, you may have to look elsewhere if gaming is your top priority.
