There are many great laptops available today, including the MacBook Air.
The device is light, versatile, and extremely portable. As a great all-around machine, newer MacBook Airs have improved graphics capability, and some are wondering if gaming is possible on them.
Compared to older MacBook Airs, newer MacBook Airs aren’t a whole lot better when it comes to gaming. It depends on the kind of gamer you are and what kind of games you plan to play. I have formed a solid opinion based on my knowledge and the advice of a few gaming experts. Find out more by reading on!
Is the Macbook Air a Good Gaming Laptop?
Basically, the MacBook Air doesn’t make a good gaming laptop. I’ve already given you my quick answer. I have heard the same negative response from my gaming experts. Their primary gaming machine would not be this machine.
They say they would not buy one just to play games on. Despite the fact that it might be a quality product that can do many things, it simply isn’t designed for this use. We’ll take a look at a few things it does well since it does so many things well.
What is the MacBook Air Best for?
Gaming may not be its strong suit, but it excels in many other areas. In addition to surfing the web, writing papers and reports, creating spreadsheets, adding music, and more, you can also use this device for everyday tasks.
It’s a great computer for students and professionals to use on a daily basis. Its portability is the most significant benefit for all users. This device is very compact, lightweight, and has a long battery life, which makes it perfect for traveling.
Is the MacBook Air with M1 Chipset Good for Gaming?
Many people hoped that the newer MacBook Airs could handle intense games thanks to the M1 chip in the MacBook Air. Although it’s a powerful chip with 16 CPUs and GPUs, it’s not designed for gaming. As we have described above, it can also be used for other purposes. Compactness, efficiency, and long battery life are the main design goals.
A dedicated GPU (graphics processing unit) is found in the M1 chipset, despite 7 or 8 (depending on the model you get) cores being dedicated GPUs. The performance of these cards is not as good as that of an external graphics card.
You can also read the best MacBook for video editing.
What Types of Games Work Well with the MacBook Air?
Games designed specifically for macOS and the M1 chipset can be played on the MacBook Air, especially simple arcade games. Although some older games work well on this machine, the performance is not as good as on a machine designed specifically for this type of game.
Some of the newer graphics-intensive games can be run on the MacBook Air, but you will probably need to play them on the lowest settings, and your display may stutter or glitch. Most game enthusiasts probably won’t find this desirable.
What Types of Games DON’T Work Well with the MacBook Air?
The MacBook Air cannot handle graphics-intensive, action-packed games with lots of motion. There are a lot of games out there that are designed and optimized to run on Windows machines with Intel or AMD processors.
Why the MacBook Air Isn’t Great for High-End Games
A MacBook Air would not even be considered by gamers who play high-end games. I don’t think it’s worth the experience. Playing this game is challenging and downright frustrating due to the stutters, glitches, and slowness.
Here are five reasons why high-end games are not most suitable for a MacBook Air.
Slower Processor
There isn’t always a direct correlation between processor speed and performance. It does have a 3.2GHz processor, which should be more than enough to run any gaming machine. M1’s design and usage of speed are the problems.
Multiple applications can run simultaneously on it, and it also saves power to extend battery life. You cannot play good games with a processor that does not process graphics.
Games not optimized for M1
Unfortunately, most games are designed for Windows PCs, meaning the processors are Intel and AMD, not Apple Silicon, which is the M1 processor specifically designed for Macs.
GPU
A graphics processing unit or GPU is built into the MacBook Air. A smaller and more compact MacBook Air is possible thanks to this GPU, which works well for displaying photos, videos, and other everyday applications.
It is not designed for intense gaming, even though it works well for most productivity-type applications. Built-in graphics cards make it impossible to upgrade to a better third-party card, which would significantly improve gaming performance.
No Fan
In addition to its sleek design, the MacBook Air does not have any fans. As a result, the laptop is smaller and uses less power. As long as you don’t play a game that utilizes a lot of resources, your laptop should be able to keep cool on its own.
Several users have reported overheating while playing games on the MacBook Air. If your machine overheats, it may cause damage and poor performance, which will negatively affect your gaming experience.
Keyboard
It’s not the best keyboard for playing games on the MacBook Air. An external keyboard can solve this problem since the keys are not as responsive as full-size keyboards.
What is the Best MacBook for Gaming?
Generally, the best MacBook for gaming is the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro or M1 Max. The system can handle most popular games well, despite not being as powerful as most PC gaming machines.
Compared to the M1, the M1 Pro and M1 Max take advantage of the speed much better. Despite having up to 64 GB of RAM and an 8 TB SSD, my gamer friends say the MacBook Pro isn’t really a gaming machine.
You might want to consider a desktop Mac if you really want to play video games, especially if you do not need a portable device. Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro are all good options.
A high-quality graphics card will significantly improve your gaming experience, and you will have many more choices when it comes to hardware.
Conclusion
MacBook Airs are fantastic computers. Although it is capable of doing a number of things well, its main focus is on portability, which makes it an excellent laptop for professionals and students.
Despite its portability and productivity, it is not a good gaming machine because of its features that make it portable and productive. As a result, I do not recommend the MacBook Air for gaming.
High-end games will probably disappoint serious gamers, but less intensive arcade-type games will perform well on the system. Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it useful. I would appreciate any questions or comments you may have. It would be great to hear from you.