Is a MacBook Pro M1 chip good for gaming?

Is a MacBook Pro M1 chip good for gaming?

 

Apple continues to release its power-packed notebook lineup with the arrival of the new MacBook with its most powerful and efficient processor – M1

Fabricated from the industry-leading 5 Nanometer (nm) technology & over 33 billion transistors which are more than twice that of the M1 Pro, the MacBook M1 Pro becomes a powerhouse for working professionals and enthusiastic gamers. 

MacBook Pro 14’ and 16’ can be a preferential choice for gamers. The all-new M1 chip powers the MacBook pro to take a giant leap forward in gaming as well as professional work. 

The M1 chip has two variants in MacBook Pro 14 inches and MacBook Pro 16 – M1 Pro and M1 Max.

For Great Deals on MacBook Pro, click here.

M1 Pro:

  • M1 Pro has up to 10 CPU Cores with 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores.
  • Up to 16 core GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
  • Fast Memory bandwidth up to 200 GB/s
  • Support up to 32 GBs of unified memory. 
  • Good for casual gaming.

M1 Max:

  • M1 Max has up to 10 CPU Cores with 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores
  • Up to 32 core GPU
  • Extremely fast memory bandwidth up to 400 GB/s
  • Support up to 64 GBs of unified memory
  • It performs great in E-sports gaming and casual games as well. Overall M1 Max chip performs extensively well in games as compared to its previous generation's chips.

Similarities:

  • Both M1 Pro and M1 Max are packed with monstrous CPUs of up to 10 cores of which 8 are performance cores and 2 are efficiency cores. Performance cores are used in powerful tasks such as gaming, code processing, etc…, whereas efficiency cores are used in lightweight tasks such as browsing the web, video playbacks, accessing pages, etc…
  • Both are based on an industry-leading 5 nm fabrication process.
  • Both provide a great leap forward from their previous generation.

 

MacBook Pro 14:

Apple's 2021 MacBook Pro promises breakthrough performance and exceptional battery life, thanks to the blazing-fast M1 Pro CPU. 

The 120Hz ProMotion HDR display makes everything on-screen feel exceptionally fluid and snappy, while the six-speaker sound system with strong bass fills the room. 

All of this, plus more pixels than ever before and a variety of networking possibilities. "Pro" is an understatement when it comes to the amount of power this laptop places in your hands. 

It promises up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colours (M1 Pro) or up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colours (M1 Max). It even has a 3.5mm audio jack for gamers using headphones.

The bright and vibrant liquid retina XDR display is 14.2 inches with 3024 * 1904 native resolution at a pixel density of 254 pixels per inch (PPI).

  • Contrast Ratio of 1,000,000:1
  • Standard Brightness of up to 500 nits
  • Extreme dynamic range brightness of up to 1000 nits full screen for a good gaming experience.
  • The Colour gamut is P3 which makes 1 billion colours visible with true tone technology.

MacBook Pro 14 comes with an HDMI port which supports one display up to 4K resolution at 60 Hz. MacBook Pro 14 also packs in Thunderbolt 4 digital video output over USB-C for a true gaming experience on a big screen.

To know the prices of MacBook 14 Click here

MacBook Pro 16:

MacBook Pro 16 comes with a 16.2’ inch liquid retina XDR display at the resolution of 3456 * 2234 which a pixel density of 254 pixels per inch (PPI). 

The large display of the MacBook Pro 16 makes it an attractive purchase for gaming enthusiasts. The full potential of gaming can be unlocked in the M1 Max chip. 

The all-new MacBook Pro 16 with M1 Max Chip packs in a monstrous GPU with 32 cores and 16 core neural engines.

To know prices or more about MacBook 16 variants click here 

From the specs analysis so far, it can be observed that MacBook Pro with M1 chipsets provides a far better gaming experience than their previous counterparts. 

And hence, the MacBook Pro can become a great choice for casual gamers and streamers who live stream their games to audiences on social media platforms. 

Even a separate webcam is not needed to stream directly as MacBook 14 & 16 are equipped with 1080p webcams of the best quality of any other ultra-book on the market.

Source of data mentioned in the above table: Xda-Developers.com.

Conclusion & Bottom Line:

 MacBook Pro with an M1 chip provides an overall good experience in gaming when compared to its predecessors. Industry-leading M1 processor offers over 12 times fast graphics performance & SSD offers super-fast speed of over 7GB/s. 

For enthusiasts, they can choose M1 Max for full-fledged gaming as well as live streaming. Mac OS Monterey has made the gaming experience better than ever before in the Apple Ecosystem. 

MacBook Pro 14 & 16 with M1 are great ultra-books for people seeking casual gaming & productivity tasks. However, gaming fanatics can choose the M1 Max processor for fanatic gaming and streaming as well as working on heavy tasks like Machine Learning (ML), coding & programming, video editing along with light productivity-driven tasks. Overall, Apple MacBook Pro with an M1 processor lies at a sweet spot. 

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