Sims 4 on MacBook
I currently use The Sims 4 on a MacBook Pro 2015 (2.7 Ghz Intel i5, 8GB 1867 MHz DDR3 RAM, Intel Iris HD 6100). However, I have noticed that it has started becoming sluggish and stuttery and I am th...
Forum Discussion
@hybridace101
No. MacBook Airs are less powerful than MacBook Pros and are not designed for any kind of gaming because of this.
The Macbook Air that I'm eyeing has an Intel i7 chip of 1.2 GHz (4-core), Intel Iris Plus graphics, and 16 GB 3733MHz LPDDR4X memory. On the other hand, the Macbook Pro that I have in mind is an Intel i5 chip of 1.4GHz (4-core), Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645, and 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory.
My existing Macbook Pro has an Intel i5 chip of 2.7 GHz (2-core), Intel Iris Graphics 6100, and 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3. It took almost 5 minutes to load a game. FPS is less than 30, sometimes in single digits. I tried this on a Macbook Air with the same specs to what I am eyeing and it can go up to 60 FPS.
Question is how would the Macbook Pro describe above likely perform?
- @hybridace101
Both Macs are not designed for gaming because they have integrated low spec. Intel chips. An iMac with AMD or 16" MBP is much better suited, although there are currently issues with the graphics drivers in the 16".
When you did your test did you load the game in the exact same environment, on the same OS build? The same save, same settings, same packs installed, same processes, background tasks and apps running in the background? That would be the only way to get a true comparison.
The MacBook Air will throttle power to avoid overheating thus eventually causing lag in-game. Too much heat over time can also damage hardware.
The 13" MacBook Pro has dual fans to help with better cooling and is not as thin as the MBA so heat will dissipate more effectively.
I cannot recommend either but if I had to choose, I would go with the MacBook Pro.I recognise I won't be getting the best experience possible. That's out of the question for this time.
Interesting take on MacBook Pro. My question though: will having 1/2 the RAM size and a change from i7 (MBA) to i5 (MBP) have an impact on gameplay, especially how long it takes to load the game and whether there is a bit of choppiness, i.e. the difference of when you click on something to the time the computer actually does what you command it?
Yes, the settings were almost as identical as I could make them.
- @hybridace101
The fans and cooling are a significant factor in OS throttling. The MBA will get hotter quicker and not cool down as quickly as it only has one fan. When this happens the game will lag (what you are referring to as choppiness). You are unlikely to notice a difference in the CPU between the two because the MBA will start trying to cool itself quicker than the MBP, therefore throttling, therefore lagging. 16GB RAM would be preferable, 8GB is considered low nowadays. The speed of the RAM is faster in the MBA but again, I doubt you will even notice this in performance.
Can you bump up the CPU and RAM in the MBP? I see on Apple's site that will be around $500 without any discounts you may be eligible for.
I managed to get the 2.0 GHz MBP, the sort of high-end of the 13-inch line. Does it do a better job at sorting the heat out compared to the entry-level 13-inch MBP?
