10 Suggestions You May Follow to Tweak Your Mac for Gaming
Macs are considered not as good as Windows for gaming, but you can tweak them to get the best. With a few changes to the settings, one can get the same gaming experience on macOS as with any other operating system.
The suggestions mentioned in this article will help you optimize your Mac for gaming without spending much on buying additional storage or memory.
#1. Clear Up Your Drive
Clearing all the clutter mostly helps reclaim the space on the hard disk, which was assigned to unnecessary files and other items. Several games need gigabytes of space to run properly, no matter whether you stream or download them from the internet.
If your drive is low on space, you will suffer functional lags while playing games on the computer. So, clear all the junk files, caches, unused apps, delete mail storage on mac, and look for other ways to make more space on the device’s drive.
#2. Reduce RAM Usage
Various apps running on the computer occupy some share of memory which results in reducing the availability of RAM for other programs. Similarly, when you try to play your favorite game while multiple high-end programs are running in the background, there is considerable stress on the RAM, and the game starts to lag.
To avoid any similar issues, make sure you close all the unused apps and processes running in the background before starting to play.
#3. Switch to SSD
SSDs (solid-state drives) are faster as they are built upon advanced NAND flash technology to enable fast data read and write operations. SSDs are more power-efficient than HDDs and give you better storage and faster access to required data.
All latest Macs come equipped with SSDs that make it easier for users to play their favorite games without facing any performance lags. If you have an old, upgradable MacBook, you may change the storage to an SSD because it will make a significant difference to it if you wish to build a gaming laptop.
#4. Stop Login Items
Apps that activate automatically without your permission as you turn your computer on are known as the login items. Also known as startup apps, they run continuously in the background, consume system resources, and slow down the system performance without displaying any warning signs.
Quitting these apps will free up system resources and allow the processor to assign these resources to important apps. It’s better to stop these apps from running automatically before running any game.
#5. Restart Your Mac
Sometimes, a simple restart is a solution for many computer problems. If you are one of those users who hardly shut down their computers, restarting the device can help you to resolve slow performance issues or any similar problem.
Restarting clears the RAM, caches, unused apps and makes the computer function better for the next set of tasks. So, if your Mac is lagging too much, consider giving it a restart and then start your game.
#6. Upgrade Your RAM
RAM plays a very important role in performing any task on the computer and making them seamless. The more RAM in the computer, the better it will handle multiple tasks.
Although 4 GB RAM is sufficient to play lighter computer games, it is recommended to upgrade it to anywhere between 8 GB and 16 GB for playing high-end games if you are an avid player.
#7. Check CPU Temperature
When you play continuously for long hours, your computer starts to overheat. Keep a consistent check on the CPU temperature while you are playing a heavy-end game.
Place a cooling pad beneath your laptop to maintain a moderate temperature. Also, check if there is proper ventilation to dissipate heat and that the fans are working perfectly.
#8. Tweak Game Settings
Changes to software and hardware settings can help make the computer optimal for gaming. Other than that, you can also change the game setting for better performance and achieve the maximum gaming experience.
For example, you may change the aspect ratio, graphic setting, and other settings according to your graphic card, texture quality, and screen resolution.
#9. Check Activity Monitor
Activity Monitor on Mac is an in-built feature that allows you to have an overview of which apps are running in the background and occupying more RAM.
So, when you play for hours and find your game is lagging or the CPU fan starts to expel loud noises, then quickly navigate to the Activity Monitor. Check for the apps that are consuming more space and memory and close them right away.
#10. Buy External GPU
If you can invest in optimizing your computer for gaming, it is recommended that you buy an external GPU. It is an external graphic card that is enclosed with a cooling system, a power unit, a graphic card, and also a PCIe interface.
You can connect it to your laptop or desktop to increase the performance of images in frames. eGPUs are used for 3D gaming and viewing VR content. But this might be a costly affair so opt for it only if you need to maximize your graphic experience while gaming.