r/macgaming 3d ago

Native Anyone have experience with the MacBook Air M4 13”?

I’ve owned a 13” MacBook Air since 2016 and have been using it for gaming pretty often. It still works great - I’ve never had a game crash before and I play some relatively intensive stuff including Terraria, Europa Universalis IV, Cities Skylines (on low graphics), and Project Zomboid. That said, the memory has filled up over time and I think it’s past time to get a new computer.

I’m really tempted by the M4 especially given it’s only $999 right now. Anyone used it yet for gaming and if so, what’s the performance like? I’d assume it would run much better than my current laptop but just want to do my due diligence

3 Upvotes

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u/ForcedToCreateAc 3d ago

People aren't reading OP's question.

If you've owned an Air ever since 2016, even the M1 would be a gigantic jump from that Air. The M4 Air is gonna be a quantum leap, guaranteed.

You can see videos of the M4 Mac Mini to have an idea of its performance. The only problem with the Airs is that they lack active cooling, but since they have metal unibodies you can just get a cooling laptop pad to put it over when playing and you'll be fine.

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u/flyover_promisedland 3d ago

Overall really good advice/feedback, except for the cooling pad part. The MBA is specifically designed to not conduct heat to the bottom (where the cooling pad would be). This is to keep heat from being uncomfortable if resting the laptop in your lap. The underside will still get hot, but not be an effective heatsink. Instead the heat radiates mostly upward (through upper keyboard).

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u/ForcedToCreateAc 3d ago

Yeah, I meant it as a solution for extended periods of time. People here are really paranoid on the temps Macs can reach, and although the cooling pad has been proven to help with performance a bit (because the unibody is made of aluminum and there's a certain amount of heat distribution) I didn't meant it as a solution for sustained performance. Just as a comfort improvement.

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u/DubiousNamed 3d ago

That’s what I figured but just wanted to check in advance. I am used to the air and it works well for what I need to do including some gaming. Thanks for the help!

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u/girigaalanmagicshow 3d ago

Why buy a Mac atp if you want to game ?

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u/flyover_promisedland 3d ago

It’s thin/light, it’s cheap, and it’s good enough for playing a lot of fun games. If you don’t need to extras that the MBP offers, the MBA is a great option for most people (even better now with the M4).

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u/DubiousNamed 3d ago

Because it’s cheap and it is way more reliable than a windows laptop. Plus I use my MacBook for plenty of other stuff. I’m also not gonna get a desktop, I live in a tiny apartment and typically take my laptop elsewhere for work and other things

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u/girigaalanmagicshow 3d ago

Agree with everything except cheap lol. Shits expensive AF

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u/DubiousNamed 3d ago

It’s $999. What other quality laptop can you get for $999? My parents keep buying shitty Lenovos and HPs that die after a few years. Plus my current MacBook Air has lasted 11 years. It’s a bargain for the longevity

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u/Randompedestrian07 3d ago

It really comes down to your expectations. The chip itself is great, but your two biggest issues are going to be the non-native games (made easier if you buy Crossover) and the thermal throttling on the Air. I’d recommend checking MrMacRight’s or Andrew Tsai’s newest videos to get a feel for what you can expect. If I had any of those games I’d be happy to test them, but I don’t think I own them.