The MacBook Air is one of the most popular laptops in the world right now. It is the number one choice for professionals for doing work. And it is never meant to do gaming on a MacBook air. So is it possible? Yes. But you never get a smooth gaming experience from it.
In this article, I am going to explain: is Macbook Air good for gaming? Or not.
Is Macbook Air Good For Gaming?
MacBook Air is able to handle lightweight games, not heavy gaming. It is more suitable for professional work rather than gaming. If you want to do hardcore gaming, you should go for a gaming laptop or a heavy desktop computer.
And there are some legit explanations why Macbook Air is not good for heavy gaming. However, the Macbook Air has a good amount of memory and storage that can fulfill some of the requirements for doing smooth gaming. Also, the display is well enough for handling a faster refresh rate. But it lacks the following terms. You can also visit laptopvine.com to know more about gaming laptops.
CPU is Not For Gaming
Although the latest M1 chip is strong enough for handling multiple tasks at a time, it is not good for gaming. Why? The CPU structure is not suitable enough for gaming. Yes, you can do gaming but not the smoothest gaming experience you can get. Also, this is a low-power-consuming CPU. So that gives you smooth multitasking, but gaming requires higher power.
No Dedicated GPU
This is one of the main reasons for not having a good gaming experience on the Macbook Air. You never get a smooth gaming experience without having a dedicated graphics card. However, there are a few games that are called mac optimized games. But yet, it can not fulfill the finest gaming experience that you can expect. Indeed that is because of not having a dedicated GPU in the Macbook Air. The integrated GPU card is responsible for doing regular tasks properly, not for gaming.
Non-Gaming Keyboard
It would be a nightmare to play games using a Mac keyboard. One of the worst experiences with these non-gaming keyboards. Although they made a huge improvement in their newer models, you still get the same gaming experience. Even if you try to get the external keyboard, it is way more expensive than the usual keyboard, and finding the best gaming keyboard for the MacBook air is not easy to find at all.
The fan is Not For Gaming.
The exhaust fan is supposed to make your computer cool. And when you do gaming, you put immense pressure on your system. Therefore it causes more heat that needs an ultra-modern cooling system to handle. Yet the Macbook Air cooling system is not designed for handling this task. Also, the fan is not that powerful at all.
What is a Macbook Air Good For?
A Macbook air is perfect for traveling professionals who need a lightweight and powerful computer. The Air’s long battery life and slim design make it perfect for carrying around, and its performance is top-notch for a laptop its size. The Air also comes with a number of built-in applications that are perfect for business users, such as a word processor, spreadsheet application, and presentation software. Overall, the Macbook Air is excellent for business users who need a lightweight and powerful computer.
Key Requirements of A Gaming Setup
Whether it is a laptop or desktop, there are some key requirements that you should have in your gaming computer. These essential requirements ensure running all the popular games smoothly and give you a good gaming experience.
Display
The display should be a higher refresh rate display with better resolution. The more refresh rate your display has, the more lag-free gaming experience you can enjoy. The usual monitor consists of a 60 Hz refresh rate. But the minimum requirements should be 72Hz or higher. Fortunately, the new Macbook Air has a 144Hz refresh display with a 4K resolution. This is the ideal display for gaming. Therefore, the new Macbook Air display is an excellent option for gaming.
RAM
This is where most of the gaming setup needs to take good care of. 16GB RAM is the modest solution for modern popular games or is considered the minimum requirement to play all the games smoothly. However, 32GB is the ideal setup for gaming. Unfortunately, The MacBook Air barely has that much RAM in it. However, the new MacBook Air has 16GB RAM, which is not a bad choice for gaming.
CPU
There are a few things to consider when it comes to CPUs for gaming. The first and most important is the CPU’s clock speed. The speed at which the CPU can execute instructions is measured in gigahertz (GHz). A higher clock speed means that the CPU can perform more operations per second, making it better for gaming. 3.9 GHz is the modest minimum speed for smooth gaming.
Another important factor is the number of cores the CPU has. A core is a processing unit within the CPU, and the more cores a CPU has, the more tasks it can perform at once. This makes it better for gaming, as it can handle more complex graphics and gameplay. And those cores should be eight or above.
Finally, the CPU’s cache is also important. This small amount of memory stores frequently used data, allowing the CPU to access it more quickly. A larger cache means that the CPU can perform these operations more quickly, again making it better for gaming.
Although the Macbook Air CPU is powerful enough for handling all the popular games, it has a different structure that suits the professional work better than gaming.
GPU
A powerful GPU will give you a better gaming experience because it can handle more graphics and run the game faster. A laptop’s GPU is important for other reasons, like editing videos or photos. So if you’re looking for a good laptop for gaming, make sure to find one with a good GPU. A built-in GPU is not enough for heavy gaming. Most popular games such as COD, league of legends, and FIFA require external graphics cards. It could be as minimum as a 2GB external graphics card. Unfortunately, that is not happening in the MacBook Air.
Decent Keyboard and Mouse
Although most gamers prefer the gamepad over the keyboard and mouse, the keyboard and mouse are the better options for some gamers. At Least you can expect a good quality mechanical keyboard along with a gaming mouse for better response. It should have to be well enough for long-term use.
FAQs
Is MacBook Air Touch screen?
No, there are no MacBook Air or Macbook Pro models that have a touch screen display. But over time, they have upgraded their display with the fastest refresh rate and better resolutions. However, the touchscreen is yet to come in the future. Hope we will see it in the upcoming models.
Can we play GTA 5 on MacBook Air?
No, you can not. Unless you want the worst gaming experience along with low graphics settings and others, GTA 5 is not suitable for Macbook Air. It is considered one of the heavy games requiring external graphics cards and much other stuff to play smoothly.
Which is better for gaming MacBook Air or Pro?
Comparatively, Macbook Pro has better specifications; therefore, it is better for gaming. However, both are not suitable for gaming at all. Yet the larger display and higher memory help to play games better in Macbook Pro.
Final Words
After considering the factors, is MacBook Air good for gaming? Well, certainly not. You can play games on this system, but I am afraid you are never going to get the ultimate gaming experience on this laptop. I suggest using it for professional purposes over gaming. Although it has a good amount of battery backup, an excellent display, and a good CPU, it misses the prime requirement for gaming: the GPU. For this reason, the Macbook air is not a good choice for gaming at all. However, you can play lightweight games for timepass but not for heavy gaming at all.
