Is Gaming Bad For Mac



Which of the two biggest OS platforms is best for gaming, Windows or Mac? This is a big question with a pretty solid answer for once. Windows laptops are better gaming laptops than Macs, hands down.

  1. Mac For Gaming Computer
  2. Mac Laptop For Gaming
  3. Why Is Macbook Bad For Gaming
  4. Pc Vs Mac For Gaming
  5. Is Gaming Bad For Teenagers

Mac For Gaming Computer

Macs are good for certain things, like coding or photo/video editing, but they are simply not good for games and the gaming world reflects this. You will find thousands of titles available for Windows but only a handful available for Mac. Why?

Apple's Mac computers may be good at a lot of things, but they aren't the best machines for gaming. Here are some big reasons why they suck for games. Which low-priced Mac model is best for gaming? 'Low-priced' is a relative term, but if you're on a budget you might be able to get away with the mid-range 21.5in iMac at a cool £1, 2 49/$1,299. Luckily, TechRadar has a list of the best gaming keyboards on the market right now, so if you're committed to playing GeForce Now games on Mac, it might be worthwhile checking that out.

Macs are expensive because they are chic. They are generally encased in high quality materials, and they have exceptional customer service, especially for people who don’t really care about learning how to maintain a computer themselves. Virtual reality aside, I wouldn’t hold your breath for a Mac that is designed primarily for gaming. Mac sales have been doing very well as is, even in the face of a declining PC market.

Because the majority of laptop users are Windows users and thus the majority of laptop gamers are Windows users. So, naturally, game devs develop their games for Windows first over Mac.

Windows also has the most laptops capable of withstanding today’s demanding games so it makes sense that there would be more games available for Windows than Mac.

Things to Consider

Games

The first thing you should consider when deciding between a Windows laptop or a Mac is the types of games you’ll be playing.

Mac Laptop For Gaming

You’ll want a laptop that can run the games you want to play so always check the recommended specs for the games you are wanting to play and figure out what hardware you want in your laptop based on that.

There are a lot of really demanding games coming out for PC; ones that require huge processors and memory and graphics cards that make even Minecraft sparkle. If those are the games you want to play, then your laptop specs need to match that.

Currently, there are thousands more games available for Windows than Mac, and none (to this writer’s knowledge) that are available for Mac only and not Windows.

If you do decide on a Mac, do some research into what games are available for you and make sure they are games you would be willing to play for some time.

Budget

..Windows gaming laptops range in price from $500 to well over $2000 so there should be one in there to fit your budget and gaming style…

Is Gaming Bad For Mac

The next thing to consider is your budget. Windows gaming laptops range in price from $500 to well over $2000 so there should be one in there to fit your budget and gaming style.

If you’re wanting to play some of the more graphically demanding games on the market, you’ll need to be willing to pay for that super-charged graphics card and lightspeed RAM and processor.

Windows models that keep up with today’s games can rack up anywhere from $1500-$3000 but it isn’t always necessary to have top of the line everything.

My MSI was top of the line in 2017 and cost about $1300 but still runs the most graphically demanding games on the market with no issue.

Pro Tip: This is why you should always check your recommended specs before purchasing a game because they’re often far lower than the top of the line hardware that is available. This way you don’t have to worry about having the newest GeForce 10bajillion graphics card or Core i100 processor to run your favorite games.

Is gaming bad for your mac

Macs on the other hand are insanely expensive (even lower end models) compared to the hardware that comes inside them. Even the most gaming compatible models costing well over $2000.

Performance

The last thing to consider is performance whilst gaming. Obviously, you’re going to want your laptop to perform well when you’re gaming; that’s what it’s for.

Be sure to check the recommended specs for the games you want to play against the laptop that you are thinking about purchasing.

Windows

Pros

  • More options
  • More games
  • More power

Cons

  • Storage
  • Bloatware

Mac

Pros

  • More games becoming available
  • Some models are game capable

Cons

  • Too expensive
  • Not many games available

Windows

Windows still dominates the market despite Macs growing popularity. As such, game producers look to develop games for Windows first before ever looking to other platforms.

That is not to say that you can’t game on a Mac but you will have a wider selection of well-developed games on Windows.

The biggest reason why Windows is still the best platform to game on is simply because there is such a large user base that game developers would be silly to develop for Mac first over Windows; they would be cutting off their largest body of customers.

Bad

Windows laptops can be built for the sole purpose of gaming which is not the case with a Mac laptop. You can get insanely powerful gaming rigs with Windows that still cost less than the best Mac.

With that gaming rig, you could have access to all of today’s biggest PC titles at release and be able to play them without your laptop turning into a nuclear reactor.

With a Mac, there’s no guarantee that a specific title will be released for your platform and you could be waiting months or even years before it is released.

..customize your Windows gaming laptop to have whatever processor, graphics card, RAM, and storage that you want to fit your gaming style…

Windows laptops have the customizability that Macs simply do not. You can customize your Windows gaming laptop to have whatever processor, graphics card, RAM, and storage that you want to fit your gaming style.

With Mac, you have a limited number of options to choose from (with little to no customizability) and an even smaller number of options that will perform well when gaming.

Windows is the heavyweight champion, here, and probably always will be (unless Apple comes out with a gaming Mac) and it all comes down to the range of gaming options and the price. You have a massive variety of laptops to choose from for your gaming experience.

You can go with a low end $500 gaming laptop and still have a range of thousands of games to play or you can go with a high end gaming laptop and, with the money you save from not getting a Mac, you still have money left over to play some of today’s top games.

Mac

Macs are built for performance in daily work but lack the important components for gaming. For example, the less expensive Macbook options rely on integrated Intel graphics cards which are not ideal for gaming.

The more expensive Macbook options appear to have the ability to run games (and they can and do) but they are more expensive than an iMac desktop and still more expensive than most Windows gaming laptops.

The cost of a Mac compared to the hardware is not balanced at all. The hardware in a Macbook can barely run even low end games and still costs over $1000. For the same price, you could get a high end Windows laptop with almost all of today’s top performing hardware.

Macs are just not built for gaming. They lack the proper hardware to run games safely. Because they’re built to be ultraportable, they don’t have the fan power to keep your CPU and GPU cool during your gaming sessions and this can be catastrophic to your already expensive Mac laptop.

However, despite their low end specs, there are many popular games that you can play on a Mac. Many AAA titles have been released for both Windows and Mac including: League of Legends, Counterstrike, Minecraft, World of Warcraft, Fortnite, and many more.

It’s not that you can’t play games on a Mac, it’s just that your performance and the variety of games available to you pale in comparison to Windows laptops.

If you are a casual gamer who needs a Mac for other things outside gaming (e.g. work or school) then a Mac is not a bad option, especially if you already have one or are used to macOS and Apple products.

But if you are a hardcore gamer or like to stay up to date with new titles, there is no better option than a Windows laptop. Customize it to fit your gaming style and it will still probably cost less than a Mac and be far more cost effective.

Related Posts

/Mac Tips /Why Are Macs Bad for Gaming? [Reasons Released in 2020]

Who doesn’t want a Mac? Everybody does. Well, except for gamers. If you’re a serious gamer, you’re probably not playing on your Mac. That is if you even have a Mac.

As a serious gamer, you already know the answer to the question, why are Macs bad for gaming? You pretty much know the reasons why you can’t play the games that you love on a Mac.

However, do you know that there is now a way for you to enjoy the games you love on your Mac? Stick around and you will learn more about it here.

For the sake of the others who don’t know the answer to the question, why are Mac bad for gaming, well, there are three reasons why. Read on to learn more about them.

Article GuidePart 1: Reasons for Why Are Macs Bad for GamingPart 2: Cloud Gaming is Now Possible on Mac Bonus Tip: A Powerful Tool to Optimize A Mac Machine for Better Performance

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Part 1: Reasons for Why Are Macs Bad for Gaming

Is gaming bad for macbook pro

Reason #1: Macs Were Not Marketed as Gaming Machines

Let’s walk down memory lane. Did you know that Mac was actually known to have some awesome games in it? Yes, it’s true. During the 80’s that was exactly what the scenario was for Mac.

Between the Mac and the PC, the latter was known to be more functional than a gaming machine. Hence, Mac was the one that was known to be as a fun, gaming machine.

All that changed when Apple decided to rebrand itself. They started to position themselves as a more serious brand in the market. They wanted to go beyond the fun and learning functions of a computer so that they could be taken more seriously. Hence, they downplayed the concept of gaming in their culture.

Apple just didn’t want to be known as a fun machine in the business. They didn’t want people in the workplaces to end up playing games on their computers.

Over time, it was realized that the workplace didn’t really need serious computers. As long as the computers were functional, they were good to go.

As Windows made its way in the workplace, it also created and developed APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) so that it was easy to program a game for Windows. That pretty much paved the way for PCs to enter the homes, with parents focusing on productivity and kids focusing on games.

As that was happening, Apple was still focusing on how to position themselves as serious machines in the market. With the market gearing towards PCs for gaming. Apple was pretty much able to appeal to a different kind of audience, which obviously did not consist of serious gamers.

Reason #2: Hardware Is Not Powerful Enough for Gaming

No one can deny that Apple products are awesome. However, not everyone can afford them. They’re pretty expensive, right?

Cost is not the only reason as to why some folks prefer a PC over a Mac. Face it, there are a lot of things that can be done on a PC for free. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case with Mac. For serious gamers, the cost is not the only reason why they prefer a PC over Mac.

So, why are Macs bad for gaming? When it comes to gaming, the hardware is king. It needs to be able to support powerful graphic cards that can run games.

Sure, the processors of most Macs are pretty good. Only the Mac books, specifically the Mac Book Pro has a Quad-core Processor. Yes, the displays are awesome as well on almost all Macs. When it comes to RAM and storage, they’re not bad as well. As a matter of fact, both Mac Books and their desktop versions are pretty good in terms of RAM and storage.

There’s just one thing that horrible in Macs when it comes gaming and that is the graphics. Most Mac models rely on integrated Intel graphics cards that are underpowered. Needless to say, integrated graphic cards aren’t great for gaming. Even with the best APUs, they’re just not going to work well at all.

Why Is Macbook Bad For Gaming

Even if iMacs have their own dedicated graphic cards, they’re still not able to run a lot of games. Since Macs are more expensive than PCs, it makes it a very odd choice for gaming. PC is definitely a more affordable choice and it performs very well for gaming.

So why are Macs bad for gaming? Well, the answer is that their hardware is not cut out for gaming. It’s not powerful enough to run all the games for the serious gamer.

Is gaming bad for kids

To make matter worse, their OS isn’t very popular when it comes to games. Compared to the 20000 games available on Windows, there are only about 7000 games available on Mac.

This is not to say that Mac is an inferior product because it definitely isn’t. It’s just not designed for gaming.

Reason #3: Macs Are Expensive to Upgrade

Serious gamers are always upgrading their hardware. The reason for that is because games are becoming more and more advanced. So, the next generation of games will always need more powerful hardware.

Unfortunately, Macs are not upgradable. They can’t be torn apart for the sole purpose of running a game. An attempt to do that would cost a lot of money. Hence, is the reason why serious gamers do not consider the Mac as a gaming machine.

Pc Vs Mac For Gaming

Part 2: Cloud Gaming is Now Possible on Mac

So, a Mac may not be an ideal machine for gaming. However, it could be used for cloud gaming. Now, what exactly is cloud gaming?

Cloud gaming allows the gamer to have external accessibility to a computer or PC that’s on the cloud. The gamer uses the processing power of his or her Mac so that he or she is able to play some games.

How is that made possible? It’s made possible by NVIDIA’s GeForce Now.

GeForce Now for Mac offers ease-of-use and overall compatibility with a good number of popular PC games.

For serious gamers who want to experience playing on a Mac, here’s how GeForce Now can be set up.

  1. Navigate to the GeForce Now website
  2. Click on Download Now For Mac.
  3. Drag and drop it to your Applications folder.
  4. Launch the GeForce Now application.
  5. Sign into the GeForce Now application.
  6. Run a network test to check computer, network connection, internet service provider, and choose the closest NVIDIA GeForce Now server for better bandwidth and experience.
  7. Go to the top, right-hand side of the screen to Manage Team. That will launch another application for the Steam environment.
  8. Launch and run Steam. Choose and install a game to play.

The performance of GeForce Now is very impressive. It can run a lot of games with very low latency experience.

Hence, GeForce Now gives the gamer the ability to play PC games without having the need to run Windows on Mac. It also gives the gamer the ability to play games instantaneously without having to run an installer.

Considering the fact that GeForce Now is still in the beta stage, it’s just going to get better when it’s finally released.

Since GeForce Now is still in the beta stage, it’s still free of use. When it’s fully launched, it’s going to come with a monthly fee.

Bonus Tip: A Powerful Tool to Optimize A Mac Machine for Better Performance

Thanks to GeForce Now, it’s now possible to play games on Macs. Since there is no need to download any games with the GeForce Now, any Mac machine can be used to run any kind of PC games. Cloud gaming through GeForce Now levels up to the gaming experience on Mac.

To ensure the optimum performance of any Mac machine, it’s best to make use of the iMyMac PowerMyMac software. The PowerMyMac software not only cleans up a Mac machine; it also helps optimize its performance. This is very important especially if the Mac machine is going to be used for cloud gaming.

Since the PowerMyMac software cleans and optimizes a Mac machine, it helps speed it up as well. Again, that’s crucial in cloud gaming. Even if everything else is on the cloud, it is still critical to have a good running Mac machine to play the games. Needless to say, the PowerMyMac software can help any Mac machine perform better and faster. It can speed up a Mac with just a couple of clicks.

The PowerMyMac is compatible with macOS 10.10/10.11/10.12/10.13/10.14.


In Conclusion

The answers to the question, why are Macs bad for gaming, are pretty evident now. There are a lot of reasons why Macs aren’t ideal for gaming. One could also surmise that Macs are really not meant for gaming.

Is Gaming Bad For Teenagers

The good thing is, there is now a way to play more games on Mac. Thanks to GeForce Now, cloud gaming is possible on Mac.

With the PowerMyMac software, any Mac machine can be optimized for the better cloud gaming experience.

So, what are your thoughts on this? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

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