M2 pro or M3 pro for Gaming?

[peneaux]

Both are at the exact price but the M2 pro has 16-core GPU vs 10-core for the M3.

M2 pro has Thunderbolt 4 but I don’t think that matters much.

As far as gaming, which one is better? I can’t find benchmarks online but I was looking to play some 3D games like Hitman, StarCraft 2 among many others.

 

[darthbane2k]

M3 for the raytracing, surely?!

 

[peneaux]

M3 for the raytracing, surely?!

Sounds good in theory but in real world, do they offer any improvement having way less cores?

 

[buran-energia]

Afaik "M3" only has 1 fan as opposed to other models. This alone might be a problem.

 

[giffut]

No, gaming at the moment is not viable at all. There aren´t any games there yet at all except for some. Check if your favorite games are compatible, but I doubt you find much beyond a couple of titles.

I only would buy a mac for gaming that moment it can play anything windows and linux/steam can play. You can´t trust Apple on this. their Arcade initiative is a big distraction.

Don´t waste resources for this. If you want to really game, get an AMD based laptop or desktop or a console of your choice.

Do only go Mac if it happens,not if someone tells you it might in the future.

 

[Mega ST]

Would you guys expect Apple to open more RAM upgrade options on the M3 MAX MBP in the future below the top chip variant? 36 megs feels too small but upgrading to 96 megs and the biggest chip too expensive.

 

[MapleBeercules]

m3 pro 100%, m3 is the first processor from apple to use mesh shaders, the RT hardware is huge and Just In Time Memory allocation for video card will also ensure max performance out of you new M3 pro. Id be jumping on the M3 pro gaming bandwagon if they update the mac mini.

 

[Schnitzel1979]

i am going for a m3 max since i want to play baldurs gate 3 the best possible way; is it possible to play call of duty modern warfare 3 too on a mac ?

 

[peneaux]

There was one guy who tested a bunch of games on different Macs. But I haven’t seen anything on M2/M3.

You can play modern games, not on high settings or high FPS, but still enjoy it.

Gaming is not my primary reason and no other laptop has the same processing power, slim design, battery or quality like the MacBooks. The Air would be perfect for me but I don’t mind paying some extra to be able to also play some games.

 

[peneaux]

m3 pro 100%, m3 is the first processor from apple to use mesh shaders, the RT hardware is huge and Just In Time Memory allocation for video card will also ensure max performance out of you new M3 pro. Id be jumping on the M3 pro gaming bandwagon if they update the mac mini.

It’s just that seeing how Apple went cheap like putting slower HDs on M2, and Thunderbolt 3 instead of 4 in the new MacBook Pro, I’m in serious doubt if -37% cores would give a better performance.

 

[christlinah]

If possible I'd aim for M2/M3 Max when gaming is your priority. Way more GPU cores.

 

[TheRealAlex]

M3 Pro here 12 Core I’m gonna give Resident Evil 4 Remake a try. And StarCraft 2. That’s my limit for Laptop Gaming.

 

[Beau10]

No, gaming at the moment is not viable at all. There aren´t any games there yet at all except for some. Check if your favorite games are compatible, but I doubt you find much beyond a couple of titles.

I only would buy a mac for gaming that moment it can play anything windows and linux/steam can play.

At a middle aged light gamer, I'd say something like this is fine the same way owning just a Switch is fine. When you can't really devote more than 5-10 hours/week (if that) to gaming because of life responsibilities, having a limited set of AAA titles with a plethora of indy games is a feature, not a bug IMO. That said, a plethora of titles are accessible through emulation and work exceedingly well by most reports.

Something like Baldur's Gate 3 with a 70-100 hour commitment terrifies me (yeah some do it in 30-40 but those people are skilled in a way I'll never be). I played table top D&D as a kid in the 80s and probably will purchase this to experience a best of breed game in this space - and really push the graphically capabilities of my M3 Max - but doubtful I'll make it past Act I.

 

[JustAnExpat]

Would you guys expect Apple to open more RAM upgrade options on the M3 MAX MBP in the future below the top chip variant? 36 megs feels too small but upgrading to 96 megs and the biggest chip too expensive.

To my knowledge, they did not change the maximum memory for the M1 and M2. They also didn't change the base memory either.