Mar 08, 2024
Upon receiving the new MacBook Air M3, my primary curiosity revolved around its gaming capabilities. While this might seem an odd inquiry for a laptop of this nature, given its slim profile and fanless design, the inclusion of the M3 chipset alters the equation.
Apple's assertion that even the base M3 model can handle basic gaming tasks intrigued me, especially considering the touted enhancements in graphics performance, including mesh shading and Dynamic Caching.
Despite lacking the high-end display features found in other models and the disparity in GPU cores, my experience with gaming on the M3 MacBook Air surpassed initial expectations. Installing Baldur’s Gate 3 yielded surprisingly playable results, although with some adjustments to resolution and graphical settings. While not an optimal gaming experience, the performance was commendable, particularly in turn-based games like Baldur’s Gate 3.
The MacBook Air's surface temperatures remained manageable during gameplay, a notable feat considering its silent operation. However, it's worth noting that while the M3 chipset expands gaming possibilities on the MacBook Air, the limited selection of native Mac games remains a drawback.
Despite this, testing with titles like Death Stranding Director’s Cut and Resident Evil 4 showcased the MacBook Air's ability to handle AAA games at reasonable settings. Though not comparable to laptops with discrete GPUs, the M3 MacBook Air offers exciting prospects for gaming on a lightweight, compact device.
Further testing is needed to fully assess its performance across various tasks, but initial impressions indicate a promising gaming experience on this diminutive laptop.
