Thanks to the Apple M2 Max and M2 Ultra silicon, the Mac Studio (2023) is a really powerful desktop computer. The system can be configured with up to a 24-core CPU and a 76-core GPU. Compared to some of the other best Macs, that really makes it more than ideal for use in video editing, photography, and creative industries. But what about gaming?
Unlike what you get on Windows gaming laptops and desktops, many hit games are not available on macOS. But Apple is working to make things better. Coming soon in macOS Sonoma will be a Game Mode that will tweak the SoC to better optimize it for gaming. Additionally, Apple is working to help developers port games over to macOS.
Why the Mac Studio (2023) isn't technically good for gaming, but might be soon
One of the Mac brand's biggest weaknesses has always been gaming. While there are some games that run on Macs, and more than there used to be, users are mostly limited to games on the App Store or certified to run on Macs. But, coming up in macOS Sonoma, Apple is allowing developers to port their games over to macOS through the Game Porting Toolkit.
Put simply, it provides an emulation space on macOS to run Windows games, but the feature is for development purposes only and is extremely buggy. Under the hood, the Toolkit uses its magic to help developers transition games that run Microsoft's Direct X12 technology to the API that Macs use. We've already seen Apple demos of The Medium running this technology, and some eager Mac fans have already gotten some games like Hogwarts Legacy to run on macOS, too. But again, it's a developer feature and not something you'll be able to use easily.
But there is a second new feature, called Game Mode, which you can use on macOS Sonoma to boost your gaming experience. What it does is prioritize the CPU and the GPU for running a game, so you'll get better framerates and overall performance. In addition, Game Mode will also optimize and reduce latency for Bluetooth audio and even controllers, allowing you to focus more on the action.
Even better, Game Mode runs automatically. Once a game is launched, it will turn on, but you can disable or enable it by clicking on the game controller on your menu bar and choosing the Turn Game Mode off option.
We hope that your question was answered. Right now, the Mac Studio (2023) will be less than ideal for gaming. But in the future, it should be a much better gaming system.
Apple Mac Studio (2023)
The 2023 Mac Studio with either M2 Max or M2 Ultra is Apple's second most powerful computer behind only the Mac Pro. Its smaller size and lower price makes it arguably a better option than the latter.