Gaming on MacBooks
In our MacBook Air M2 review, we learned the M2 performed great during our synthetic benchmarks. In the Geekbench 5.4 test, it scored 8,919, decimating the 6,054 premium laptop average. In the graphics department, it didn’t perform as well, but still showed it could hold its own. For example, during the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI benchmark, the notebook scored 40 frames per second. As announced during WWDC 2022, Apple is looking to turn its MacBooks into more gaming-ready devices thanks to the new Metal 3 graphics API. With Resident Evil Village and No Man’s Sky set to arrive on macOS, it will be interesting to see if the lineup of M2 chips offers smooth performance with high-quality textures — especially if they bring more capabilities to the graphics department. Many believe it’s time Apple gave a damn about gaming, and the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the expected M2 Pro and M2 Max could be the beginning of it all. Gurman notes that “given the continued supply-chain challenges, it’s hard to predict exactly when these will hit store shelves.” Whatever the case, M2 Pro and M2 Max seem to be on their way. In the meantime, check out which is best for you: MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?
