You may find that even Macbooks are quite decent for video games nowadays. While most people would still recommend a personal computer or a console for gaming, Macs have had noticeable hardware upgrades over the last few years.
Thus, even Macbook owners can enjoy video games. And it is possible to improve the overall gaming experience even more by taking some steps, particularly if you have used the same Mac for a while now. This article should give you ideas on how you may improve the gaming experience on a Macbook.
Step 1 – Free up Disk Space
Video games require a lot of drive space. Since Macbooks are quite notorious for providing a lackluster amount of storage, many people run out of free space, especially when they want to install multiple video games.
If you want to free up some space and have more than just a few gigabytes left, consider:
- discarding old applications, email attachments, and downloads
- removing temporary system junk files, such as caches, plugins, extensions, and backups
- transferring data to external hard drives, cloud services, or memory sticks
- sticking to streaming services, so there is no need to keep large media files on the computer
These four suggestions above should be enough to maintain the Macbook’s drive in good condition. As a rule of thumb, at least 10% of total disk storage should be free.
Step 2 – Clean Dust Inside
It is difficult and risky to remove the dust inside the Macbook. Most people do not bother to do it themselves and take the computer to a local service store. The cleaning costs, but the laptop will be in good hands.
Removing the filth that accumulates inside the computer will prevent loud noises from internal fans, as well as overheating.
Step 3 – Add New Hardware If Possible
Think of additional hardware as more than just extra RAM, an external graphics processing unit, or replacing your hard drive with a solid-state drive. While these three suggestions are worth considering, there are other neat additions you can explore.
For example, a cooling pad is a neat accessory that will help with the overheating problem, not to mention how handy it comes in when you are stuck in a poorly ventilated room.
A gaming keyboard and a mouse are also worth a shout. Finally, gaming headphones when you want to enjoy the sound in addition to visuals.
The bottom line is that if you have the budget to spare, then you should certainly consider adding new hardware if you can.
Step 4 – Close Background Apps
Video games require many resources. If you want the most optimal experience, quit background applications you do not need. It may be possible to quit pretty much every app other than the video game itself.
Antivirus software could be worth keeping around, but even that is not that necessary if you are playing video games on reliable platforms like Steam.
Step 5 – Check for Malware
A solid cybersecurity strategy should be enough to prevent potential malware problems. However, it is still worth performing custom scans to make sure that the computer is malware-free. After all, even a minor virus or malware can cause significant issues.
Besides having solid antivirus software, you can also take some extra steps and improve the computer’s cybersecurity. For instance, install an ad blocker that prevents annoying ads while surfing the net.
Virtual private networks are worth mentioning as well, particularly if you have concerns about your security and privacy.
Step 6 – Test Full-Screen and Window Modes
For the most part, it is recommended to play video games in the full-screen mode. This way, you do not have to worry about computer processing the background. Instead, the Macbook will dedicate most of its resources to the video game.
At the same time, there are some games that perform better when you run them in window mode. However, it is worth mentioning that such video games do not have that many requirements in the first place, and they should be fine in both window and full-screen modes. If you have the time, test, and see which option offers better results.
Step 7 – Try Different In-Game Setting Variations
Video game developers include the settings tab for a reason. Players can try different variations and find a setup that offers the best gaming experience.
You can tinker with resolutions, effects, shadow quality, and even lock the frame rate. It is about trying different variations and finding one that suits you the best.
Conclusion
To conclude, the steps in the article should be a good reference for people who would like to enjoy playing video games on a Macbook. If your gaming experience has not been that great until now, try implementing this article’s ideas and see how much of a difference they make.
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