Apple also sells models with discrete graphics cards which perform fairly well when playing new games.Either is sufficient for casual games, and both graphics options are capable of powering an external monitor at 60Hz and up to a 6K resolution. Newer integrated graphics solutions, however, should be able to handle most older games (half a decade old) on the highest settings, and currently released games on low settings. Apple is moving towards integrated graphics cards which provide decent performance for most tasks, but poor performance for editing and games. It depends on your model of Mac computer.The Mac has been a gaming platform for a long time. However, the MacBook Pro might be changing this notion for Apple users, including the perfect combination of a fast and strong processor with effective graphics. Apple MacBook Air M1 – SpecsHere are the specifications of the Apple MacBook Air I've been testing:Apple devices can support 2D graphic games very well, but they sometimes falter with 3D graphics. Before I dive in, though, here’s what I’ve been using. There’s more to it than that, of course.Connectivity: WiFi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0 Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack Model: Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) (A2337) And that difference is more than enough for a decent LCD panel, a wireless keyboard, a multi-button mouse suitable for gaming, plus World of Warcraft and a 60-day game card.Speaking of the Apple logo, it’d be nice if Apple returned to the light-up logo on its laptop lineup, and there are rumors a completely redesigned MacBook Air is in the works, but until then, we’re stuck with the same ol’ design. The space gray, gold or silver exterior is clean and free of any extra fanfare, save for the standard Apple logo on the lid. It’s the same iconic footprint the Air has had for several years now. At the top end, a fully-kitted model features 2TB of storage and 16GB of memory for $2,049.Apple MacBook Air M1 – DesignThere’s nothing notable or special about the Apple Silicon version of the MacBook Air when it comes to design. The entry-level model also comes with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage.
![]() Above the keyboard is a row of keys that trigger various system functions like adjusting display brightness, media controls, Do Not Disturb and a Spotlight shortcut for quickly searching your Mac. The backlit keys have a bit of depth to them, allowing for touch typists or even mechanical converts to adapt on the fly with little struggle. The new Magic Keyboard, thus far, has been reliable. The Air uses Apple’s newest Magic Keyboard, ditching the problematic butterfly mechanism that was prone to dust particles wreaking havoc on the old design. Apple MacBook Air M1 – Performance and GamingInside the new MacBook Air is Apple’s first processor that was designed in-house. It’s plenty big enough, offering enough space to swipe, tap and scroll through MacOS using gestures. Just below the keyboard is a trackpad. On either side of the keyboard is a speaker that is loud, but lacks the same depth and overall audio quality that my personal M1 MacBook Pro has. Same goes for storage, with the model I tested having 1TB. You won’t be able to change it out yourself, so what you order is what you’re stuck with. When ordering an M1 Mac, you can pick between 8GB or 16GB of memory, which can be limiting for some. The M1 processor found in this MacBook Air has 8 CPU cores, 8 GPU cores and 16 Neural Engine cores. Rise of the Tomb Raider, for example, runs on the M1 MacBook Air. That said, I discovered that some of the games IGN used for benchmarking in the past do run on a Mac, so I ran them. So, instead, the bulk of testing was done with real world usage. Most of the benchmarking apps IGN uses to provide quantitative numbers comparing performance between systems won’t run on a Mac. The testing regimen for the Air, naturally, is different from any Windows 10 gaming laptop I’ve tested. As far as I can tell, these blocks are in areas where unrendered fog and rain are moving through a scene. Namely, big black blocks that move across the screen. Total War: Three Kingdoms installs and runs, but there are graphics issues throughout the entire game. I was worried about heat management when playing games, be it Tomb Raider (which I played the most of during my review period with the MacBook Air), or games from Apple Arcade like Lego Brawls. I was accustomed to my 2017 MacBook Pro’s fan kicking on the moment I opened the lid to make its presence known. It’s completely and totally silent at all times, and it’s a little weird at first. There isn’t a fan inside the MacBook Air. Playstation 4 controller mac dolphin emulatorHitman installed, but failed at launch. After installing Steam, I went through my personal library and installed any game that I could. But never hot to the touch. Heck, the housing didn’t even get hot. Even though those numbers are higher than what I’d expect to see in a PC, there didn’t seem to be any downside to running the system for a long period of time at those temps. For the most part, temps would hover around 93-degrees, but every once in a while, they would jump up to the 100-degree mark before quickly dropping back down. I dropped in for a few matches, and with the resolution set to 1920x1200, with settings on High, hitting 60 FPS wasn’t an issue. Just not iPhones and iPads. Yes, you can still play Fortnite on Apple hardware. I also installed Epic Games to see which games I owned would run on a Mac, and to my surprise, there were a handful, including Fortnite. Apple MacBook Air M1 – Battery lifeOne of the main highlights of the MacBook Air and its new M1 processor is battery life. Tomb Raider was by far the biggest surprise, running buttery smooth the entire time I played. As I said at the start, I wouldn’t tell someone to go out and buy an M1 MacBook Air over a true gaming laptop, but I’m no longer completely shut off from the option. Apple Arcade games are optimized for Apple’s hardware, big and small. All of them ran without issue, but that’s expected. ![]() Is Graphics Card Good Enough For Games Update Was ReleasedThere aren't any apps dedicated to gaming or fine-tuning your system as is commonplace on gaming laptops, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You get MacOS that includes apps like Messages, Safari, Photos, and the rest of Apple's software suite. Apple MacBook Air M1 – SoftwareAs is the case with Apple's Mac lineup, there isn't any pre installed bloatware or unnecessary apps. While still falling short of Apple’s estimation, it’s more in line with our expectations, and also goes to show how important it is for developers to optimize their apps for Apple Silicon. I ran a subsequent battery test and it lasted 8 hours and 10 minutes. However, the next day an update was released, optimizing VLC for the M1 chip inside the MacBook Air. The 8-core GPU model with 512GB storage starts at $1,249. Purchasing GuideThe MacBook Air M1 is available from Apple starting at $999 for a 7-core GPU, 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. Both apps can be a little sluggish at times, and it’s obvious they’re not optimized for Apple Silicon, but they work. I didn’t run through each and every gaming accessory program, but I did take a few minutes to install Logitech’s G Hub and Corsair’s iCue software and was able to use it, with connected accessories, without any deal breaking issues.
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